Falling Rain
by rawpotato
Summary: How to you say 'I love you' without risking your heart. Falling in love, with the falling rain. AU, contains bits and pieces, and alludes to current episodes. Soilers for se5ep1 and on. FINAL CHAPTER has spoilers for '100'. Now complete.
1. Safe

_**Disclaimer: **I own nothing. Well I have a cell phone and an iPod, but those take money rather than give. Criminal Minds, it's characters and all that hoopla, remain the property of CBS, and whoever else has all the money. If I did own it, I would change nothing, because I love the show._

_**AN: **I would like to thank you for reading this. Of course I would love a review, but if you don't want to give me that's fine._

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Rain fell down around his shoulders, dripping down the upturned collar of his FBI SWAT gear, and making him cold. The overcast sky offered them no lights, and they knew that going into the building all canons firing, Emily didn't stand a chance. Aaron Hotchner slammed his gloved fist against the red brick wall beside him, silently cursing. He had been secretly in love with her for some time, yet he'd never said anything. Nothing, not a word, and now he stands to lose her.

The things he admired most about her were the things he hated most about her, were currently the things he hated most, her pride, her arrogance, her independence, her protective side, which strongly represented his own traits at this moment. Usually he loved to think of these as her virtues, but as he had watched her shove the last victim away, and be dragged by the unsub into a van and drove off. It had been three days since she'd been gone, and it had taken three days to track him to this building, but finally they had made the call to go in.

"Teams 3, 4, 5 and 6, get ready to move in." The voice of the SWAT leader came over his ear piece and he raised his gun and got ready to move. They had turned down the building on the outside, but the inside was an 86 thousand square foot building, with three levels, 200 rooms, and an infinite duct system. Somewhere inside with a man, who had killed 76 people, was the woman he loved.

His team leader made the motions to move. Just before they started moving he said over the intercom, "Remember, he won't be afraid to stand up to you. His ultimate fantasy is suicide by cop. Also one of my agents is in there, please act accordingly. From here on out, radio silence is to be observed." Fifty people voiced their consent, and his earpiece went silent, echoing the silence in his heart. Not one person escaped this man in the 20 years he'd been killing, and hope was a feeling that he was missing right now. He wanted, no needed, to get Emily back, if only to have her safe in his sight once more.

They were moving, as were the other 9 teams of five. All silently sweeping the building, looking for a sociopath who would more than likely kill someone before allowing himself to be killed, or who would try to take as many with him as possible, in a blaze of bullets. Hotch hoped he could kill the man himself.

Methodically they moved, silently sweeping room after room, making a lot of ground, but even after fifteen minutes, and having meat up with another of the teams, and becoming one, they still hadn't found her. The absence of hope was eating him alive, and the longer that they went without finding her was slowly squeezing his heart in a vice grip, almost constricting his breathing. He would tell her that he loved her, that he couldn't live without her, and that he simply wanted to keep her safe.

His team leader's fist shot into the air, indicating that they should stop. He tensed; allowing a small spark of hope to flare in him, a small amount of pressure was released off of his heart, allowing him to breathe a little more easily. Simply because he'd been told to stop, he wondered what would happen if he actually saw her. The small voice inside his head told him to tamper it down, that feeling that hope couldn't possibly be good for him. Emily's voice floated into his head, "Hope is fine. It's false hope that kills."

The team leader made a sign for Hotch to come to the front of the time. He moved silently, keeping the line safe and quiet, so as not to alert the unsub to their position.

"Agent Hotchner." His whispered name caused him to look around, and follow the finger that was being pointed. Looking up and following the finger what he saw caused the hope to flare, and his heart to stop. Emily. She was tied to a chair, and looked as if she'd been beaten fairly badly. Her eye was swollen, and shut, a purple tinge coloring the skin around there. There was a fairly large cut on her cheek, though the cut was caked with blood, he could tell from this distance that she would need stitches.

"Okay Sergeant Holt, take us to her, but I am moving in second to go straight for my agent." The only confirmation he got was a nod, and they started moving. The closer they got, the better he could see Emily. She wasn't moving, and suddenly he couldn't breathe again. The urge to run to her was overwhelming, but he reined it in. They stopped just outside the door, and suddenly he felt his body relax, a flood of endorphins moved through his body, and he was ready to shoot someone.

Holt made the motion for them to move in, and the ten people with him flooded the room. Aaron never took his eyes off of Emily, noticing that she hadn't moved, even though ten men had barged into the room, yelling and holding guns. Breaking protocol he moved straight to Emily, and covered her.

Suddenly a voice in his ear was shouting, and the vice on his heart was released a little. "Suspect down, we need an ambulance here immediately. Officer down. I repeat, Office Down."

Kneeling in front of Emily, he holstered his gun, and removed his helmet, calling her name a few times.

Placing his softly on her cheek, he winced at the cut, when he lifted her head, the cut opened, and a small trail of blood trickled down her cheek, causing his heart to ache. Being in love sucked when the woman was lying broken in your arms.

"Emily. It's Aaron. Can you hear me?" The people moving around him, still held their guns, and were pointing them at the unsub, who stood smiling at them.

"Aaron?" Her voice was dry and scratched, soft and very worn down. It broke his heart that she sounded that way, didn't like that she looked like she was a victim. He didn't like to see his team as victims. He'd been the victim once, and he didn't like that either. However, when it was his team he felt responsible. They were his team, his family, and he tried to do all that he could to protect them.

"Yes Emily. Aaron." His voice cracked. He tried to protect them, but every so often he failed. More than hating being a victim, he hated failing. As he knelt in front of Emily cutting off the plastic ties that bound her wrists together, he knew that he was both a victim and a failure in this instance.

"Aaron. Can you get me out of here please?" Her voice had regained some of its spunk, and he couldn't help but oblige her wishes.

"Can you walk, or do you need my help?" He looked at her, and sighed. The hope that had sprung into his heart, flared again. She would be all right. Physically at least. He knew that her nightmares would last a long time. If you're on this job long enough, as both of them had been, nightmares were common. It was worse when they were from your own memory and experience, but a nightmare was a nightmare.

"I dunno." He laughed again, and moved closer to her.

"Put your arms around my neck, and I'll carry you." Her small arms slipped around his neck, and she placed her head on his shoulder. Her forehead rested against his neck, and as he slipped his hands around her body, and took her weight, he was shocked to find he liked holding her close to him.

"Sergeant, we are moving out." The words were said over his back, and he vaguely heard the order for one of the other agents to follow them.

"I'll keep you safe." He whispered the words, hoping beyond all hope, that he could keep the whispered promise.

CRIMINALMINDSPOVSHIFT

Emily Prentiss didn't know how long she had been tied to a chair. The man in front of her, pacing and holding a gun, didn't look at all like what she had expected. Four years on this job, and still she was amazed at the fact that she could be surprised by an unsub. It was something that the families of victims said. "Not what I was expecting." She never had an answer for them, why did she expect to have an answer for herself.

She knew the profile was right, how long had she spent talking to him, days or hours, she wasn't sure, but she knew that they were once again right. The Polaroid's of victims on the wall spoke volumes. They knew of 76 victims, but at first glance at the wall spoke to over 300 hundred. How they had missed that part of the profile she wasn't sure, but she knew that he life was probably going to end in this room.

The walls were a rusted metal of some sort, probably an old butchers shed, judging by the drains in the middle of the floor. The room was otherwise nondescript, and she didn't know where in the world she was anymore. But that didn't matter to her anymore. All she knew was that the man in front of her was a sociopath, a sadistic killer who's, been grossly underestimated by both her team, and the local police force. He was crazy, and that was a word she didn't use often. It was just so unflattering, but as he paced back and forth rambling again and again, she knew that it fit very well.

Though she was alert now, she knew that she'd been drifting in and out of consciousness, and that he was beating her. Her left eye pounded with her heartbeat, and she could hardly see out of it. Reasonably she knew it was swollen, but she couldn't reach up to feel it. The plastic ties around her wrist were too tight to allow any movement. She'd tried twist and pulling, and moving every which way for at least two hours to no avail. Her chair was bolted to the ground, so she couldn't move. He legs were left free, but he never came within kicking distance, but that didn't really matter as she couldn't get up from the chair.

Suddenly he started mumbling furiously again. Last time she had tried to talk him down, but she learned that it was a bad idea. He'd punched her until she passed out. She could handle pain, had been beaten many times before, and though he was slight of frame and stature, his punch packed quite the wallop.

She would be smart this time, leave him be, alone and crazy, mumbling about someone watching him, or being in his building. Though she knew that she wouldn't live past this experience, she wasn't about to inflict more pain on herself. She could handle a beating, more than most people, but she wouldn't inflict it upon herself if that beating could inflict death. That was one ill that couldn't be recovered from.

Though she kept quiet, and her head hung, which kept her safe thus far, he suddenly turned on her, and came down swinging. She felt the first punch land, her head explode with pain, then her vision faded to black.

"Emily?" The voice came across as if from afar. She couldn't be sure, but it sounded a lot like her boss. She tried to open her eyes but the grogginess was consuming her again and she faded back out to her sea of blackness. Again, the voice said her name, though this time it was much closer, and she felt the need to answer it.

"Yeah?" She asked weakly. Her throat hurt when she spoke. This time her eyes did open, but they were foggy, and she could hardly see who was standing in front of her.

"Emily. It's Aaron. Can you hear me?" Relief that she had never known flooded through her. She knew that she was safe now. If Aaron was here, she would live. She didn't know what happened between the time that she blacked out, and now, but her heart was screaming its thanks for him.

"Aaron?" She asked, again, her throat felt like the desert, dry and in need of hydration.

"Yes Emily. Aaron." It was as if simply hearing his voice awoke her from the grogginess that she was feeling. The plastic ties around her wrists were cut lose, and suddenly her world opened up. She looked around the room, seeing for the first time her captor in handcuffs and several other SWAT dressed people with guns. She wanted nothing more than to fling herself into his arms and confess her undying love for him.

Some of it had to do with the way that he had ridden into her life and saved her from the fire breathing serial killer. She could forgive him the horse and shining armour, but she knew that she had been falling in love with him for some time. It wasn't that she had chosen to. It was just part of who he was.

Feeling slightly stronger she just wanted to leave, the distorted faces of his kills staring at her was becoming too much. She knew that they would find it eventually, but she wouldn't offer her team the fact that he had taken her picture. She wanted to leave before that discovery was made.

"Aaron. Can you get me out of her please?" Though she could hardly see him for looking, Emily could have sworn that she heard him laugh a little. It was a melodious sound that she'd only heard when he was around Jack or Henry.

"Can you walk? Or do you need my help?" His voice seemed to be holding something back. The bad part of being on this team, doing this job she tended to over analyze everything. As a woman who happened to be in love with this man, she often had to catch herself from over analyzing him. Though this hitch in his voice was something entirely different, even from the times other members of the team have been in danger.

"I dunno." She didn't. She didn't know if her legs could support her, her throbbing headache didn't know if she could stand up at all.

"Put your arms around my neck and I'll carry you." She did as he asked, knowing that a free ride was something that she wouldn't turn down. Slowly she slipped her arms around his neck, loving the feeling of holding Aaron in her arms. Or rather being held in his as he slipped his arms around her. Resting her head against his shoulder, she held her forehead against the soft skin of his neck, feeling his heart beat against her swollen eye.

He spoke something, and she stopped caring. For the moment, she belonged to him as he carried her away from the room, and held her close to him. The journey out was quiet as they made their way away, the only sound were Aarons footsteps on the metal railing, and the soft ruffle of his clothes. The farther away they moved from the room in which she'd been held captive, the closer the sounds of rain that Emily could hear. Suddenly, and without warning, she felt tears spring to her eyes. Moments again she'd known that she was going to die. Had known that her life was going to end without her ever having heard the sound of rain again.

Then, the tears came faster when Aaron stopped just inside a doorframe. Rain was an understatement, it seemed as if an ocean were falling about them, there was no thunder in the air, nor any hint of lightning, but Emily needed to feel the reassurance of the rain on her skin, to fully know that she had just escaped deaths clutches.

"Go get the ambulance." The order was barked from Aarons, mouth and she felt it rumble in his chest. The feeling was intoxicating to her, and she snuggled closer to him, hoping that he would forever want to hold her like he was holding her now.

"Aaron." His head turned to her as she paused, taking a deep breath and inhaling the scent of fresh rain. "Take me into the rain."

"Are you sure?" He took a small step forward, but stopped himself. "It's kind of cold, and you'll get wet."

"Please." She knew that begging wasn't beneath her. She had almost died, she could survive being wet. Besides, if he was still holding her, she would have plenty of heat to keep her warm.

"Okay." He stepped into the rain, the flashing lights of the ambulance coming closer. Gently he lowered her legs until she was standing. Though he still carried most of her weight, her back was against the brick wall, and she continued to hold her arms around his neck. She could feel one of his hands on her hip, and one was on her back, holding her tightly to him.

"Thank you for coming to get me." She whispered the words right next to his ear, and she felt him shiver. She could feel his warm breath against her neck, and though she was in the rain she didn't feel a bit cold.

Emily quickly became absolutely soaked to the bone in minutes, but she didn't really care. She knew that she would be haunted by this for a long time, that her nightmare was truly just beginning, but the rain was making her feel freedom that she hadn't felt in a long while. She felt as if the pressing weight of her demise that had burdened her while she was until the watchful of a serial killer had been washed away by the rain. She'd always loved the rain, loved it even more now.

Within minutes Emily could hear the sounds of the ambulance coming closer. She knew that she would be forced to go to the hospital, and for once she wouldn't argue. She was sure she had a concussion, and that her forehead would need stitches, so she would go peacefully.

"Hey there." The EMT was a larger man, and Emily could tell that he was friendly enough by the way he spoke. "Can you get into the ambulance? Or do you need help?" He held out his hand, a gesture that she thought was sweet. She made a move to unburden herself from Aaron, but he kept a hold of her, and replied gruffly, "I'll help her."

The innocent EMT held his hands up in surrender, and Emily could see his partner moving things around inside the bus, making room for her to sit on the gurney. With Aaron supporting her, one arm around her waist the other gripping the door of the ambulance, she made her way inside, Aaron gripping her and lifting her in. She fully expected him to stay outside, but he followed her into the enclosed space, out of the rain. He looked water logged, and his dark hair was clinging to his forehead where he'd removed his helmet, blocking his eye. Without thinking she reached her arm towards him and moved the tuft out of his field of vision. The look on his face hardened, the immediately softened as she felt him slightly move into her touch.

The friendly EMT was back, putting a cuff around her arm and a thermometer in her mouth, while his partner asked her questions.

"Your name?"

She went to answer but Aaron beat her to it. "Emily Prentiss."

"Sir please let her answer." She stifled a small smile as she saw a blush tinge his cheeks. She'd never seen him blush, and she found the sight endearing.

"He's right." She started, "Emily Prentiss."

"Age?"

"35."

"Do you know where we are?"

"An ambulance."

The EMT gave her a look, and instead of a blush tingeing his cheeks, she heard Aaron made a noise that she could only akin to a giggle.

"Miami."

"Do you know what day it is?"

"Uhh..." She looked around for some help. She'd been kidnapped on a Thursday, and she didn't know how long she'd been held there. There had been no windows so she couldn't see the sun, and the only decoration he'd had was the 300 Polaroid's of victims on his wall. "I don't know."

Aaron's voice was soft, and she felt her heart speed up as he grabbed her hand and entwined their fingers. His touch was warm and welcome, she felt instantly grateful that he was present. "She's been held hostage for the last three days. I'm surprised she knew her name." Emily sighed. His voice didn't inflect surprise. It held respect and adoration, two things she knew well in her boss.

"That's perfectly understandable then."

Then there was silence in the ambulance as it made its way towards the road and away from the large warehouse. The friendly EMT kept his work on her, giving her an IV, covering her with a blanket and general medical things, but Emily couldn't help but look at Aaron. Their hands were still clasped together, and his thumb was tracing a small path on the back of her hand. The motion warming her heart, and sending tingles through her skin.

The look on her face reminded her of the time she sat over him when he was in this position. It wasn't that long ago, and she knew that his heart ached with longing for Jack, and even Haley, but the look is what made this moment different. The look she had given him them was one of more than concern and compassion for a friend. She knew that she'd been in love with him. It wasn't a short journey that she'd taken, but it had lead her to this moment, and she suspected that he reciprocated the feelings. She would never ask him, but as their eyes stayed connected, she had an inkling that it was mutual.

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_If you like, please leave a review. Update in a week or so._


	2. Protecting Love

_**Disclaimer:** I do not now, nor have I ever owned. Which, as I type this disclaimer, reminds me how void my life really is. Now I'm going to go cry, while you just keep reading._

_**AN: **Hey guys, chapter 2, 'Protecting Love' here. Hope you like it._

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Emily Prentiss woke to the sun softly shining down on her face, and the solemn drip of the coffee pot on the counter. It had been a week since she'd been rescued, and she'd had maybe a total of ten hours of sleep. Not that she minded, her nightmares were awful, but the lack of sleep was taking its toll on her. Luckily they hadn't been called away on a case since they'd been back, giving the team time to get used to the changes around the unit. She was dealing with personal stuff, while also trying to come to terms with Derek calling the shots. Everyone still looked to Hotch as the defacto leader, but it was Morgan making all the calls now.

Strauss had ridden them hard over what she had entitled their 'latest debacle' indicating that she thought the team wasn't as close as they thought they were. Rossi had spoken up, defending the seven of them with big words. "When it's one of us, we don't stop. We don't give up, and we always get our man." It was true. They'd had a few get away, possibly because the Unsubs were just that much smarter, or possibly because, as Strauss had said, 'You guys try too hard."

Emily knew that it wasn't saying much, but the country was much safer because of their team, and they got little to no recognition because of it. She knew that none of them wanted to be a hero, that not one of them liked being in the spotlight. They just showed up everyday determined to put an end to some persons idea of revenge or fun, and hopefully make one part of the world safer. Though, as the man in her dreams taunted her, "What good are you really doing?" She had to wonder. Her own personal demon had taken more than 300 lives. Reid's standoff with Henkel had 6 murders, Garcia's 6, Gideon countless, Elle had given her career for her demon, and Hotchs demon not only held his son captive, but had killed more than 40 people. They were seven people, haunted by countless bodies, and held captive by the need to save more.

Sighing, she stood from her desk, stretched her arms over her head and walked towards the coffee pot. Someone had turned it on while she dozed, spending her sleepless nights filing paperwork. She was alone in the bullpen so she looked around, her nightmares panic flaring in her. Her hand went to her gun as she looked around. As she caught sight of her company, the panic stilled and the roar of her nightmare went silent. Aaron was in his office, technically Morgan's, also working on some paperwork. Morgan had let Hotch stay there, insisting that once they caught Foyet, things would go back to the way they should be. Hotch in charge, and leading this team.

Fixing his coffee the way he liked, she grabbed the two mugs and went to go visit him. There was no way that both of them should be in the office at six am and still be alone. He'd obviously not heard her approach, and she smiled at her stolen moment of staring at him. He had stayed with her for a few hours after they'd got to the hospital. He looked so good in his SWAT gear, hair still mused from the helmet and rain, and from what she deduced to be the constant running of his hand through it. He'd left so JJ could help her change her clothes and into a ghastly hospital gown, and came back after she'd showered and had stitches.

The doctors insisted on putting her under a pharmaceutical sleep, so her body could get undisturbed rest, and so the IV could replace the fluids that she had lost. She'd made the rest of the team go back to their hotel rooms, but Aaron had refused, saying that he needed to go over a few things for the case with her. Which he'd done for about the five minutes it had taken her to feel the effects of the drugs, and she could no longer remember anything but the way it had felt to be carried in his arms, away from the hell that she had been rescued. She fell asleep holding his hand, their fingers entwined, and his thumb tracing the same path it had in the ambulance. Though she'd felt the love radiating from her body towards his, neither of them said anything, and she knew she would never. Though she loved and respected him and his past with Haley, she could see that he was still hurting for her. Though he'd taken the ring off long ago, he was tied with her forever. If not through love, because she knew that Haley had reneged on her vow to love him until death, but because of the child they had together. Even more so now, that both of them were being held hostage from his sight, Emily knew that all he wanted was Jack back safe in his arms, and Foyet locked safely in jail, or dead. How could she compete with a past and a child. She knew she couldn't, so her knowledge would silence her heart from saying anything.

Knocking she placed a small smile on her tired face, knowing that the cut on her cheek and forehead would pull and become painful if she offered him anymore than that. "Hey Hotch. Need a morning beverage?"

He had looked up from his paperwork and smiled when she had knocked, and it had stayed in place when she held up the two steaming mugs of coffee. "Yes. Please come in."

He stood when she entered the room, and her hearts did somersaults at his show of chivalry. She'd likened him to a Knight when he'd rescued her, and it seemed as if the analogy was to continue in her heart. Placing the mug in front of him, and sitting down across his desk from him, in the comfortable leather chair he had, she couldn't help but think of after case scotch's with Rossi and him.

"Why are you here so early?" He'd been more open with his emotions and facial expressions, at least with her, since Miami. Though often his facade of straight face man was in place, in private moments he'd been offering her smiles, something she didn't know what to make of. Such as the smiled he gave her now, it went all the way to his luscious brown eyes, and made her toes tingle.

"Can't sleep." She didn't elaborate. He knew what she meant. They all did.

Nodding knowingly he took a sip of his coffee, and closed the folder on his desk, and looked back at her, his unfamiliar smile still in place. "When do you get the stitches removed?"

Emily sighed at the safe topic. She didn't know what she had expected coming up here, but her traitorous heart had wanted him to profess undying love, wither he felt it or not. Wanted him to take her into his arms and lay a kiss on her that would make her hair curl. She didn't want to talk about her confrontation with a henchman of Death.

"Today, the appointment is in three hours." She too drank her coffee as he looked at his watch. Though she knew he was well healed from his encounter with a knife, he still unconsciously rubbed the mark on his stomach where Foyet had left the longest wound. Her hand moved to her cheek, and felt the cut there. It hadn't needed stitches, but it was quite large. The doctor had said it might leave slight scaring, but she was hopeful that there wouldn't be any scar. She knew there was no hope for her forehead, that was going to be beautiful as Morgan had called it.

"This job leaves scars doesn't it?" His voice was soft and his face was no longer smiling as he'd turned to look at a picture of Jack on his desk.  
Emily also knew that he wasn't talking about physical scars. Those could be explained away easily, but the emotional and physiological scars, though not easily seen, left their marks much more defined in a person than a gun or knife ever could.

"Yeah. Unfortunately it does." She placed her cup down on his desk and leaned toward him. "You know I've been cleared to be in the field right?" She knew that he knew. Knew that he, like her, didn't understand the need for evaluations after hostage situations. They were all psychologists as well, and knew how to fake their way into being approved for duty. Reid was the perfect example. He'd fooled them all for a long time, and then he'd finally gotten the help that he needed, months after his problem started, and months after he'd been 'cleared' by the department psychologists.

"Yes I do." He nodded as he spoke the words, looking at her in a way that would only suggest disbelief. She had it on good authority that he was hardly sleeping as well, given that he was in the office at an ungodly hour fully dressed and ready for work. It's what they did. Work. Emily guessed that hunting down real monsters captured a few of the fake ones running rampant in their heads.

"Hotch," She paused, unsure how to continue. Her heart was screaming something about a dream for love, and reality with the man, but her head was speaking to something far more attainable. She just wasn't sure how to put a voice to the request that was in her head. "Do you think we'll ever be free from the demons that haunt us?"

His eyes darkened, and she could tell that he too had given the question some thought. They had both seen what this job could to do a person. It was their job to face unspeakable evil on a daily basis, and if the saying was true, they were slowly becoming what they hunted. Not evil, and killers, but the insanity that prelude the rest of a serial killer. Though not every serial killer was clinically insane, there was a certain degree of insanity that had lead them to what they had become.

"Emily, we've both seen what this job does to people. Look at Gideon. He was the best. But after so long it became too much for him to handle. I hope he's found peace. I hope that he found what he left to find." She saw him pause, in both words and actions. None of them had heard from him for a long time, not even Reid, so none of them really knew how he was coping. "I doubt though, that he feels safe closing his eyes." She knew what he meant. It was the fear the nightmares instilled in her that caused her current bout of insomnia. She knew she would overcome it eventually, but it wouldn't happen on its own. She needed to work up to sleeping through the night again.

Instead of saying anything, she simply nodded. No words were capable of describing how she felt at the moment. She knew that Aaron felt the same way from the silence that he'd lapsed into. They sat that way for some time, simply enjoying the silence, and companionship of a close friend who truly knew what walking a mile in the others shoes would entail. Coffee cup empty, Emily stood and moved to the door, noticing that the clock was about to strike 7 am, her stomach gave a rumble for food, and she was powerless to deny it.

"I'm going to go get some breakfast. I'll be back for the morning debrief." She looked at him, and felt her heart warm. One day, he would be hers, and she wouldn't be afraid of what could be inferred from inviting him to share a breakfast with her. He nodded and went back to his paperwork. The grim face of determination once again sliding into place, and blocking out the world, he had his own demons to work through, and he faced them with a straight face. He would survive, they both would. That, Emily was sure of.

**

Seven days, nine hours, and forty-eight excruciating long minutes had passed since Aaron Hotchner had rescued the woman leaving his office, and he'd spent most of those wondering how in the world he was going to keep her safe. His interest in keeping her safe was mostly selfish, for he feared the vice that had held his heart while she'd been held would tighten again. He didn't know if he could handle the pain again.  
Stealing his eyes to his picture of his son, he felt a smile hitch onto his face, and he didn't try at all to stop it. Though the motion of the face was joy filled and happy he felt anything but. It had been such a long time since he'd held Jack. Felt him wiggle and squirm as he tickled the boy senseless, and the love pour out of him as his warm little arms wrapped around his neck, and his soft voice whisper "I love you Daddy." His heart already aching from missing him, couldn't handle the longing it felt for Emily. He was torn between two emotions, and he had no idea how he was still coping.

He had some idea, his team had almost been taken from him, and he'd made several calls that he knew his team questioned, but he'd reached a point in his life and career when he'd knew that nothing he did an said mattered anymore. It was at that point when he knew that he needed to deal with everything that he was facing. Impending estrangement from the FBI, the absence of his child, and a secret, burning passion for a woman he knew he could never have. He wasn't much of a catch, he knew that. Deadbeat dad, workaholic, and severely married to his job. He didn't want a divorce, but he knew that he would be hard pressed to find a woman willing to be third in his life. He knew too that Emily knew all these things about him, and yet he was willing to place himself in that position.

He hadn't told anyone, especially not his team, but Emily had left him hurting something terribly fierce. He knew he'd changed a little when she left, taking Jack with her. Knew that he'd closed himself off for a very long while, and that he'd never really attempted to open himself back up. The he knew the kind of man he was, he also knew the kind of man he wasn't, and it was those fears that held him back from calling her name as she walked out the door.

It wasn't that he was afraid that she wouldn't have him, he knew that fear could easily be overcome. He'd loved and lost once, but his heart had let Haley go after she'd left him. He was still her friend, and could rest easy knowing that she wasn't in his arms. But as he'd held Emily, he knew that if she did love him, he would stand to lose a lot if she were taken from him. They worked in a dangerous field, the moment their lives would be snuffed out hanging over them on a perilous ledge, ready to fall at any moment. He loved her, but didn't have her, and yet when her death was only a possibility, he'd almost died. As far as he was concerned, he'd lost everything once already, he couldn't handle it a second time.  
He didn't know how much time had slipped by since she left, his pile of paperwork slowly getting smaller and smaller the more he worked. It was tedious, but he did it so his team could focus on their roles in the team. He was their leader, and he would do all in his power to help them be the best they could be.

"Hotch." He hadn't heard the foot steps or knock on his door, but by now he was used to JJ's soft voice interrupting whatever he was doing. Looking up, he looked at the young mother and his heart swelled with a need to protect her. He knew she was far beyond able to protect herself, but he couldn't help himself. Henry needed his mother, and he felt the need to protect him. Jack didn't have his father, once child in Aaron's life without a parent was enough.

"What is it JJ?" He stood, and closed his file, hoping that if this visit was like any of the times she visited his office that it wouldn't involve children.

"Mount Springs, Texas. Fourth child to go missing in as many weeks. Local PD is begging for our involvement. The first three were found dead after four days." The words chilled his blood and stopped his heart. He hated serial killers. He hated people that abused others, but he especially hated the people that hurt children, he wouldn't walk away from a gun fight this time. If he had his way he would be the one starting it. He hated child killers.

"Alert the jet, wheels up in twenty and we will debrief on the plane." He'd already had his go bag in his hand and was moving towards the bullpen. Morgan had to make this call, but Aaron knew that he felt the same way, and this his response would be the same. "Under Morgan's name remember."

JJ nodded and left towards her office. Aaron didn't know what the team would do without her. She knew which cases they were needed on, and she knew which ones were solvable by the local PD with a little prodding.

Closing the door to his office behind him, he walked into the bullpen and announced, "Grab your go bags. Wheels up in twenty, we'll be filled in on the plane." His eyes connected with Emily's and he grimaced, she would know what he meant, they all would, then sighed as she turned to do as he asked. His heart acted like the ocean with the look, and he was still riding the waves of emotions playing through him. High when they connected, riding the crest of the wave, then crashing into the trough of the other when she looked away.

Poking his head into Rossi's office he relayed the same message to him and watched as he sprung into action. The entire team loved the chase, loved the way a new case made them feel. The feeling wouldn't last longer than the initial surge of adrenaline, at which point they would deal with the pressure in their own ways. Making his way towards Garcia's office, he sighed and smiled at the image that popped into his head. Smiling Garcia with her colourful bobbles. He wondered how she'd made her way onto the team, but knew that they would hardly survive without her.

"Garcia." He called into her room, hoping that Kevin wasn't their. He hated asking Kevin to leave.

"Hail to the Bossman." Her voice was light and happy, and he knew that, she too would fade once she got to work. Murdered children took a heavy toll on all of them.

"Garcia, Mount Springs. I need everything you can find about the recent string of murders. Media, news, even chatroom rumours. This looks very bad." She nodded, and he saw her smile falter, until she bravely hitched it back in place. "And Garcia." He saw her falter again, knowing that any additions on his part never added up to a good thing. "It's children." Her smiled didn't regain it's brightness.

"Yes sir." Her voice wasn't as bright as it had been when he walked in, and he knew that it would probably fade as would her smile.  
made her way onto the team, but knew that they would hardly survive without her.

"Garcia." He called into her room, hoping that Kevin wasn't their. He hated asking Kevin to leave.

"Hail to the Bossman." Her voice was light and happy, and he knew that, she too would fade once she got to work. Murdered children took a heavy toll on all of them.

"Garcia, Mount Springs. I need everything you can find about the recent string of murders. Media, news, even chatroom rumours. This looks very bad." She nodded, and he saw her smile falter, until she bravely hitched it back in place. "And Garcia." He saw her falter again, knowing that any additions on his part never added up to a good thing. "It's children." Her smiled didn't regain it's brightness.

"Yes sir." Her voice wasn't as bright as it had been when he walked in, and he knew that it would probably fade as would her smile.

Quickly Aaron turned to move back to his office. He had a little under fifteen minutes left to get to the tarmac, and he knew that he could make it in five. Walking into a situation he knew would cause turmoil, he had to take the steps to reduce the likely hood of himself doing something he might later regret. Opening the door, he grabbed the silver framed picture of his son and made his way to their jet.

He could pass this job off as visions of grandeur floated in front of his face, but he knew that they were all lies. He did this job because of Jack. To keep him safe. It hurt him that he couldn't hug Jack, but the wounds that would be inflicted should Jack die would be fatal. He did this job to protect those he cared about.

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_**AN2: **Hey guys. For the purposes of this story, Reid and JJ are together. My story, my rules. *enter evil laugh*. Oh, and the 100th episode of Criminal Minds will be on the TV soon. I AM SO FREAKING EXCITED!!! Sorry... minor freakout._


	3. Mount Springs, Texas

_**Disclaimer: **Even though I have petitioned all forms of authority I can think of, I still do not own Criminal Minds. Lame. FIGHT THE MAN!!! WIN ME CRIMINAL MINDS! If you do this, a share will be given to you. We'll be rich I tell you... rich._

_**AN: **So this is a bit short, and mostly about the case they are going to solve. I went into a rather large amount of detail because it will be important later on. Like... really important. Maybe even a Aaron/Emily kiss important... I don't know why I said that. Whatever. Anyways, I hope you like it._

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Aaron had to run to catch the jet, and when he got in the door, and everything was shut, the pilots voice came over the intercom, "Okay folks, this is your captain speaking. Skies look clear all the way to Mount Springs Texas, tail wind is in our favor so it looks like we should reach our destination in just over four hours. You know the drill, seatbelts up until I give you word."

Slightly out of breath Aaron sat in his usual chair before they were free to move about the plane, buckling his seat belt. There were many things that he was afraid of. Flying wasn't one of them. They had been in this jet so often, that some weeks he spent more time in here than he did in his own home. Not that he minded, he knew what this job demanded of him, and if sitting in a beautiful furnished plane was what it demanded, he was happy to oblige. As always, the team sat in silence for the first fifteen minutes of the trip, each gathering their own thoughts and steeling themselves for whatever horrors they were about to come face to face with.

"Okay folks, you are free to move about the cabin. Captain out." As soon as the words were done, a flurry of voices and questions were flung about the small space, and Hotch had a hard time listening. They all moved to congregate around the case table. The polished wood table provided enough room for the six of them to all see whatever it was that they were doing, and add their input. Aaron knew this one would be bad, cases involving dead kids were always bad. Though they often saved the last child, they knew that losing the first one could never make up for saving the last one.

"Okay guys, settle down. Let's get to it." Aaron used his boss voice, Morgan nodding along and accepting the file from JJ. He didn't know how long Morgan would be okay with being the boss, but allowing him to call the shots, but for now the team needed him to be here with them, and not worry about calling the fire department to bridges that weren't yet burning.

JJ stood and clicked on the TV, the pictures of four, smiling boys filling the screen. A collective groan went up, and Aaron was shocked to see that one of the victims bore a striking resemblance to his son. There were subtle differences, but it was uncanny how much they boy in the picture resembled his son. Swallowing hard, he turned his attention back to JJ, trying hard not to look at his sons doppelganger.

"Mount Springs, Texas. In the last four weeks four boys have been abducted, three have been found dead." Aaron's stomach clenched as the screen flashed from four smiling, joyful faces, to three dead faces from their autopsy pictures. Three lives snuffed out prematurely. JJ flicked a switch again, and the faces all panned out to show three badly bruised and broken bodies. Morgan let out a small curse, and Emily who was sitting across from him, moved her leg so that their knees were resting against each other. He had promised himself that he was going to take a step back from her, and not pursue anything, but the contact was welcome, and he reached under the table and patted her knee. Hoping that she would take comfort in his motions.

Rossi's voice filled the silence that had taken over the group, asking the question that Aaron knew they were all thinking. "What makes them think the fourth boy is still alive?"

JJ spoke quickly, giving the boys name, to make him more real to them. They knew it was important for the Unsubs to remember that their victims were people, Aaron knew it was important for them to remember too. "Rodney Jones. 8 years old. All the other boys were found after five days, their autopsies confirming that they were held for four of those days then killed."

"So?" That came from Morgan, his voice not as harsh as his word sounded.

"Rodney was abducted yesterday afternoon. Local PD knew they had a problem, but didn't want to admit that they needed help." Another curse rose from the team. They knew they weren't welcome by most local enforcement, but when it involved something this serious, they usually liked to be called in right away. Not three bodies and one missing boy later.

"Let's talk victimology." This was from Reid. Aaron saw the small smile pass between them. Since she and Will had broken up, he noticed that Reid and JJ had become quite close. Though he knew it was against bureau policy that two members of the same team be romantically involved, he had vowed to protect their relationship. It was also a reminder of the obstacles that he would face if he ever did act on his feelings for Emily. There would be no one to protect him. Except Emily, and that thought wasn't exactly unappealing. It was very appealing if he were honest.

JJ's voice took on a somber tone as she described the victims. Aaron felt a hand on his knee, and looked to Emily. She was leaning forward, the pretence of listening to JJ, but he saw a small smile aimed his way, and he couldn't help reciprocate. He wasn't sure where she stood on him, but he knew that keeping his distance from her was going to be hard. He wanted her close, especially on this hard case.

"Victim number 1. Bradley Gaines. White male, age 7. Height 43 inches, weight 49 pounds. Brown hair, brown eyes. Was abducted from Grandberry Park around 2:30 Saturday afternoon. His mother said she turned her back for a second and he was gone. He had been playing catch with his dog. The dog came back Bradley didn't." The picture of his smiling face flashed on the screen, and he looked more than happy holding a worn leather glove and standing somewhere in the field. Aaron noticed that he had a grass stain on his shirt, and was missing one of his front teeth.

"Victim number 2. Jimmy Jones. White male, age 8. Height 47 inches, weight 53 pounds. Blond hair, blue eyes. Was taken from Hillers Park, which is on the other side on town. His father said that he had been playing with his cousin on the monkey bars forever, then when he looked back both boys were gone. He said the cousin said that Jimmy went to play with some other kids, and didn't see him go anywhere. Also taken on a Saturday afternoon." This was the boy that so resembled Jack. He didn't think any of them had noticed, but the soft squeeze on his knee had him looking at Emily. The depth of emotion and understanding in her eyes made him realise that she too had seen the resemblance.

"Victim number 3. Zack Green. White male, age 7. Height 44 inches, weight 50 pounds. Brown hair, blue eyes. Was also taken from Grandberry Park on a Saturday afternoon, but he had been playing soccer. It was a league game, and he had gone missing shortly after the game finished. Local PD descended immediately and they didn't find him." The boy looked small and happy in his picture. The soccer uniform he wore was crisp and clean, and the joy that was on his face was unmistakable. Aaron didn't know how anyone could hurt a child, couldn't even fathom it.

"Definite pattern there. Always abducted on a Saturday, all from very public places with almost unlimited access, and yet on the third boy he managed to escape with him, and get away unnoticed." Reid's voice was soft as he explained what they all knew that meant. Though Mount Springs was by no means a small town, with it's 50, 00 residents this was most certainly a local, and when that got out it would turn into a witch hunt.

"How were they found?" Aaron asked, knowing that as much was said about an Unsub after he was done with his victims than what he did with them.

"Fully clothed. New clothes bought from a store. Wrapped carefully and laid carefully on the ground." JJ flashed up the crime scene photos, and a surge of hatred fill Hotch. The Unsub obviously felt remorse after the first victim, why did have to do it a second, third and fourth time.

"Sexual assault?" Emily asked, and Aaron moved his knee against hers, hoping that their small contact was enough to convey that he was there for her.

"Yes. Trace amounts of spermicidal lubricant was found indicating no semen."

"What about the fourth boy, Rodney Jones?" Aaron knew that he was barely holding the anger that threatened to be released from him.

"Same. Public park, Saturday afternoon, and he was going to baseball practise. He lives just across the field from the diamond. His parents said that he often walked by himself." JJ shook her head, and Aaron knew they were all thinking the same thing again. Three boys go missing, show up dead, and you still don't walk him to the diamond.

"Wait." Emily's voice popped in, causing Aaron's heart strings to pull, and his ears to perk, waiting for whatever she would say. "Jones. Were Rodney and Jimmy related?"

They all flipped through their various folders, everyone indicating that they couldn't see anything in anything. Aaron called Garcia, and smiled with her enthusiastic greeting.

"Office of Penelope Garcia, fount of all that is knowledge and secret information. Speak and you shall be heard."

"Garcia have you got what I asked for?"

"Yes sir. No Internet chatter on the usual sites and communities, either he is a newb, or isn't involved with the community."

"Baby girl," He couldn't deny that he loved the way Morgan and Garcia communicated, it was unorthodox, but they had a special relationship, and Aaron enjoyed listening to them. "There is no way that this guy is new at this. Can you run a search for registered sex offenders and get that information to us."

"You got it sugar. Anything else I can do for you?" Aaron could hear her typing in the background, and once again felt Emily brush her knee against his. He had vowed not to say anything to her, but his resolve was disappearing faster than he could watch it go. Then he heard Emily speaking and a little more of it ran faster than he could blink.

"Yeah, it seems that all four boys play some sort of sports, can you get schedule information for all local baseball and soccer teams?"

"Emily, ha ha, sweetie. I can get you anything. All you need to do is ask."

They all shared a short moment of reprieve from the truth and laughed at Garcia's joke. Though the truth wasn't far off, it added a moment of levity.

JJ spoke next, and Aaron new that this team could never be broken apart, though they were completely different, and sometimes hated each other, they worked together so well, that doing anything different wouldn't be as effective, "Garcia, can you tell us if Victims number two and four are related. Jimmy and Rodney Jones."

"I will have all this and more for you, my dears. Garcia out."

The speaker phone clicked and they all went silent for a moment, realizing that they flew towards inevitable evil, pain and sorrow, and they only thing they could do would be to clean up the mess of some over proud cops.

"Okay guys, we need to hit the ground running when we land. JJ and Reid go to our contact. JJ make friends fast, and Reid start going through the sex offender profiles. Morgan and Rossi head to the park where Rodney was taken, Prentiss and I will head to the other victims homes, we need to find out as much about the boys as we can. Finding out what connected them, will help us find the person that did this." They all nodded, and Aaron knew what he had to do next. Hoping that they wouldn't assume that he was jumping the gun again. Before, he would do most of the paperwork for the team, allowing them to focus more on their duties, he didn't mind, but now that he wasn't in charge he had to share the responsibility.

"I know this seems a little early, but we need to run a preliminary profile, something to start with." They all shared a look around the room, and Morgans eyes darkened. He wouldn't defend himself to the team, Morgan knew what being the boss entailed, and this was something he usually did in private. Bringing in the entire team would make them think faster when they got there. "Look I know you're all thinking about it anyway, saying it out loud and writing it down, is just something that will help us later on."

Silence filled the air, and no one wanted to be the first to say anything. Suddenly the intercom crackled and the pilots voice came to them. "Hello folks, this about marks the half way point of our trip. Leaving about two hours until we get there."

Reid finally broke the silence. "Statistics show that the unsub is most likely male, early 20's to mid thirties. Due to the overtly violent nature of the crime, suggests that this is not his first time, so probably on the older end of the spectrum."

Emily spoke next, and Aaron knew that the team would always trust his instincts, and do as he asked, because they knew that he knew what was best. Though he didn't think that, he trusted his team implicitly, and he needed them to trust him. "Probably local. A white male. With the amount of time he spends with them, he is either self employed or unemployed."

The round kept going with Rossi. "It's odd. The abduction is clean, and swift, no one sees a thing. He sexually abuses them, beats them black and blue, but not the face. Then he disposes of them with new clothes and they are clean. Like he loves them. Feels bad for what he's done. feels remorse."

Morgan spoke next, "Sounds like you think that might be two unsubs."

"It appears that way. Remorse, that isn't something a violent, male, sexual sadist feels. He isn't capable of feelings."

They went around the table a few more times, speaking of it, hoping that they could have some idea of who they were looking for by the time they got to Texas. After several minutes, and several repeat of used ideas Aaron looked at his watch and sighed. They were running out of time to find Rodney Jones, and this was no longer becoming beneficial, they needed to regroup privately, learn who and what they each need to know.

Interrupting Morgan he spoke loudly, hoping that his tone was even. He wasn't mad at his team, he was mad at the case, and the fact that it seemed a ticking clock was sitting loudly behind them, counting down the seconds that Rodney had left. "Okay, this isn't helping any more. Let's break up for the rest of the flight. Remember, hit the ground running. When we land we'll have just under seventy hours to find Rodney Jones alive."

They all nodded and moved to their separate corners of the cabin. Morgan and his iPod took several folders and moved to the seat closest to the bathroom, facing away from the rest of the team. Rossi moved to the bench and stretched out, several folders with him as well. Reid and JJ moved to the corner opposite Morgan and sat side by side, heads bent together and hands clasped, folders between them.

When they had all settled, he and Emily had stayed at the table, across from each other, and silently looking over file. They had all been over the files, searching for the clue that would lead them to the killer. Aaron knew that they all knew what was at stake here. If they didn't find Rodney Jones alive, another boy would be abducted within three days. The sad fact is that sometimes they needed another victim to find the killer. It had happened to them more times than Aaron cared to remember, and he was afraid that it would be the case here. "Not if we can help it." He thought defiantly. Rossi was right, this team could do anything if they put their minds to it.

**

Emily had listened with rapt attention whenever anyone said anything. Then, when no one was talking, she was focused solely on the man across from her. She had noticed right away that one of the victims had looked almost exactly like Jack. It was scary, and she hoped that Aaron hadn't thought of this, but they didn't know where Jack was. Though they could have been twins, the subtle differences in the boys spoke volumes. Volumes that said that Jimmy wasn't Jack, and that was enough reading for her.

She knew what the cost of this case was for him, for all of them really. When one of them were hurting, they were all hurting. It was as if they children they were going to avenge was every bit as important as the child they had lost. Though they knew Jack was safe somewhere, and the three boys already lost would never come back, Emily felt that if she could save Rodney and the rest of Mount Springs boys, she could save Jack. It was an irrational feeling she knew, but she couldn't help herself.

Her heart pulled for him, and every brush of his knee against hers sent chills down her spine, and waves of emotion sweeping through her. She had told herself that she would stay away from him, hold herself back, and not do anything that would convey her feelings. But her heart betrayed her mind, and when she sat across from him and her knee accidentally brushed his, she just left it there, resting against his. It was one of the most fantastic feelings she'd felt in a long time, keeping contact with him for an extended period of time.

But as the team had gone off, to learn as much as they could separately she hadn't moved. She had purposely stayed still, hoping that he would go to his usual chair, and sit like he always did, in silence, and out of her eye line. However, he hadn't moved to his chair, or his knee, and it was still touching hers. She wasn't complaining exactly, but one look over her shoulder and she knew she would see Reid and JJ sitting hand in hand and looking over files together. She wanted what they had, and wanted it with the man sitting opposite her. Though she knew that he was emotionally unavailable, the heart wants what the heart wants, and her heart wanted him. Her heart also wanted to fix him, and hold him, and do various other things that weren't polite to speak of, but very nice to think of on cold nights alone.

She got up and moved to sit beside him. Though she knew that she was going to be closer to him, her knee, and the rest of her body, instantly missed the connection. She knew that she was treading very thin ice, and risking her heart in a very large way, but she couldn't stop the actions once they were in motion. As she sat beside him, close enough that they would brush elbows if either of them moved, she leaned in close to him, and relished the heat she could feel flowing from his body. He bent his ear towards her, and a sudden wave of intimacy washed over her. She could feel his breath on her shoulder and she shivered at the feelings it evoked in her body.

"Aaron," she whispered the words, and placed her hand on his thigh, not caring about her vow to stay away from him, or the possible implications of her actions. "We will catch the man that is doing this." She knew she meant, and he understood, that she was talking about both their unsub and Foyet. "And I will be there for you. Whenever you need me."


	4. The Sunrises, The Sun Sets

_**Disclaimer: **Since no one got me the rights to Criminal Minds, I am still without ownership. But what else is new._

_**AN:** Hope you like, please review. Because when I open my email and there is a message from fanfiction telling me I have a review, it makes me happy._

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Last Monday night, 72 hours seemed like a lot of time to find a boy. 60 of those hours have passed, and they were no closer to finding Rodney Jones than they had been at the start. That wasn't totally true, they had worked the profile, and worked suspects and were down to three possible, but time was running out for the boy and Emily was starting to feel the strain of a sleepless night. The precinct was buzzing with quietly working officers, hunting down suspects and leads, trying to beat the ticking clock to the limit above Rodney Jones' head.

They had hit the ground running, looking for any signs that would lead them to Rodney and his abductor. Deep down, she knew that Rodney was probably already dead, the autopsies showed the boys had been dead 12 hours before they were found, which left them just under thirty minutes to find him alive. The clock on the wall was methodically ticking its way to two am, and stress and panic were welling up inside her.

The team had left the precinct hours ago, for the comfort of their hotel rooms; she had stayed behind, the nightmares still to fresh in her mind to allow any form of rest. So she stayed and worked, rechecking suspects they had passed over. They were the best in the world at this kind of thing, and the fact that they weren't very close, was alluding to the fact that they might have missed something. She didn't want to think that that was true, but it was possible. They had been off before knowing that the profile was just a clue to who the unsub actually was. That finding him was the key that made everything make sense.

Morgan and Rossi had slowly slipped into their angry phases, not finding Rodney was causing so much stress on their nerves that short words and tones showed how angry they really were. It was endearing to her, knowing that the team was just as passionate about solving this, and finding Rodney as she was.

JJ and Reid had drawn closer to each other as the hours slipped by, working closely together, helping each other through their emotions. She had noticed that they shared small gestures, holding hands for a brief second, soft touches here and there, and yet were able to keep it purely professional in front of the local PD.

She, on the other hand, hadn't done any of those things with the man that she had loved. She hadn't kept her promise to him on the plane that she would be there for her if he needed him. Hotch had slipped down the anger spiral faster and faster as time slipped away, leaving a bitter scared man in his place. She had kept her eyes on him the whole time, watching him, and though it hurt her to see him like that, she had done nothing to go to him and help him.

Shaking her head, she pushed the file in front of her away. Normally she was so good at compartmentalizing that she was becoming frustrated with herself. There was a saying that she loved, 'men are waffles, women are spaghetti.' She was more like a waffle, taking all the troubles life threw at her and sectioning them off, allowing her to focus on whatever problem lay at hand. Ever since her brush with crazy, she's been more like spaghetti, everything slipping together, creating one big mass of a mess, causing her mind to go haywire.

It wasn't just about her incident, a lot of her current emotional state had to do with Aaron, and the way she felt about him. It had been growing in her for years, slowly gaining control over her heart, and mind in a way that she hadn't experienced in a long time. She'd been in love before, given her heart to a man before, letting herself be thrown into chaos for the pursuit of unrelenting happiness with another. She knew what happened to her when she fell in love. She got in trouble. Sure she had been only fifteen then, but it had lead to shaping a large part of how she acted around men.

Loving Aaron was different. She had been intrigued by him instantly. The stoic way he made his emotions known, they way a room instantly paid attention when he spoke. She respected him, and enjoyed being around him. She could even look past his faults, which were actually endearing to her. His protective streaks, his attention to minute details, his ability to read a person up and down in less than a minute, were all things that she admired. Aside from the things she admired about him mentally and emotionally, she was intensely attracted to him physically.

His wavy dark hair, rarely looking dishevelled, but only adding to his appeal when it was, his beautiful brown eyes, dark as his hair, but holding so much secret. His muscled body, tense and able to chase down a suspect and take him down if needed. His youthful face, hiding his age behind a mask of stubble and an air of superiority she knew was false. Though lately shades of grey had found their way onto his temples, she knew that he was still as youthful as he had been years ago when they had first met.

As she stood and caught sight of him laying on the small office couch, half on the worn leather love seat, legs dangling over the arm of the chair. His arms were crossed over his chest, eyes closed, and head lolling to the side. He looked awfully uncomfortable, and yet at the same time a strange sense of peace had settled over his face, and she wanted nothing more than to do all she could to keep that look in place.

Having decided that she was done with files, and suspect searching, she moved to leave the precinct, to watch the stars. She knew they shone bright in Texas, and since there had been no rain here for the last seven months, she was sure that the sky would be bright and clear, opening the entire sky up to her.

Walking past Aaron, she picked up his discarded jacket, and covered his upper body with it. Looking down at him, she smiled to herself, the spaghetti thoughts of him circling her mind. She stood quickly and made her way out towards the expanse of sky that was calling her name. Before she took two steps toward her destination, Aaron's whispered voice called her name, and she turned to look at him.

"Thank you Emily." His voice was sleepy, and quiet, and the peace that had settled on his face, had disappeared, replaced by the emotionless plane that normally resided there.

Moving back towards him, she leaned closer to his still stretched out frame, taking the whole loveseat up. "You're welcome." He made motions to get up, to propel himself into a sitting position. She placed her hand on his shoulder, the warmth of his body heat radiating through her. She had broken so many promises regarding him; why not add another, touching him. After the plane, she had imposed a hands-off rule, and she was doing a really bad job of not breaking it. "No, stay sleeping."

"What time is it?" His question was punctuated by a yawn, and a stretch and visions of waking up beside him, seeing his fresh look in the morning flashed through her head. Shaking them free, she checked the clock.

"Just about three in the morning." Though she had asked him to stay sleeping, he had pushed himself into a sitting position, stretching his shoulders once again.

"Awesome." She could hear the sarcastic tone in his voice, and she laughed in a small voice. Sarcasm wasn't something he usually employed and she found the notion of it amusing, even the action of it. He patted the worn leather beside him, and offered, "Sit, please."

"No. Really, I was just heading outside to stargaze." She hoped that he would lay back down and go back to sleep. But her hope was dashed when he stood up and stretched again, yawning a second time. Sleep was hard to come by, and obviously when it did come it was hardly enough to give the amount of rest that was needed.

"I'll join you." He moved to stand beside her, discarding his jacket on the couch, and loosening his tie. As they started walking toward the door and to the awaiting heavens, he placed his hand in the small of her back, effectively leading her. Normally if a man did that, if anyone did that, to her she would be greatly offended, and subtly moved herself away from the controlling touch. But she didn't sense that from him. The action itself warmed her once more, and sent shivers down her spine. The meaning sent her mind in a tailspin. She didn't think he was trying to control her, or manipulate her, but the touch was intimate and familiar, and they were neither of those things in conjunction to each other.

Once outside, they stood side by side, leaning against the green railing. They stood in silence for several minutes, the sound of crickets and the occasional howl of a coyote reaching them. The flat Texas landscape, illuminated by the full moon, and silhouetted with the occasional cactus was beautiful. The stars shone brightly from the cloudless sky, the constellations clearly illuminated, and the light of the moon filing the dark void. It was cooler than she expected, but there was no breeze to speak of, and the air was thick and heavy, covering them with silence.

"Strange isn't it?" His voice hit her softly, and she couldn't understand what he was talking about.

"What's strange?" She turned to look at him. His profile, so close to her, revealed a lot. His face wasn't impassive, and he looked as if there was the weight of a world on his shoulders. She knew that he was thinking about Haley and Jack, and even the boys that they were here to protect.

"That we are surrounded by this beauty. The stars, the moon, even the crickets, and still know that there is unspeakable evil living here." He stopped talking, and something crossed his face, which she couldn't understand. She had learned long ago to accept, and enjoy the little things in life.

"It's like that everywhere we go Aaron. We know that the world is full of evil. But we also know that the sun will still rise tomorrow, wither or not we stop that evil." She wasn't arguing with him. She knew that he knew that, too.

"True. So, what are you still doing here?" He turned and suddenly they were face to face, the soft moon light illuminating his features, and she saw a small smile playing across his lips. She wanted so bad to keep that smile there, but she knew that in the next few hours, without finding Rodney, it would take a lot to bring that smile back.

"Can't sleep. Might as well get some work done, right." She laughed inwardly at herself, realising that it was his M.O. to work until it was done.

"Get anywhere?"

"No. Just going over suspects we've been over, checking to see if we've missed something." She felt that they had, even though they were the best.

"I think you're right. We should have found him by now." His voice took on a faraway tone, and she knew that he was thinking about the same things she was thinking about.

"I know." Looking at her watch, she sighed, disappointment welling inside her. "And Rodney's time is about out."

"I think we've lost him Emily. I think he's already out of time." His voice, though still far away held sadness and anger.

"I think you're right." Her tone matched his, and they lapsed into silence once more. They turned away from each other, and were once again facing the void that was space. The universe was unlimited, and yet they had found ways to explore it. However, they still couldn't find a way to stop people from hurting each other.

After several minutes of silence a vehicle pulled into the parking lot. The dark SUV pulled in, and Morgan stepped out. Emily watched as he walked towards them. He stopped and leaned against the railing beside her, he smelled clean, and his clothes had changed, but he didn't look any better rested than she felt.

"Hey guys." Morgan bumped fists with Emily, and they shared a small smile, and he nodded at Aaron. Again they lapsed into silence, this time with Morgan. It was a comfortable silence, and enough time had passed that the sky was becoming lighter, and the moon was sinking towards the horizon. To the east, the sky was lightening to gray and light blues as the sun was making rise to control the expansive Texan sky.

Again, a nondescript black SUV pulled into the lot, and this time Reid and JJ got out, and walked towards them. Emily and JJ hugged, and the men all shared handshakes. Silence filled the air, and all five of them leaned against the green railing.

"According to the profile, Rodney is dead." Reid's soft voice filled the silence, and Emily looked to him. He stared out at the sky facing east, watching the ever growing expanse of starless, sun lightened sky. JJ's hand was on his back, and Emily admired him for saying the thing they were all thinking.

For the third time a SUV pulled into the lot, this time carrying Rossi. He joined them, again to a chorus of silence, and handshakes. He too leaned against the railing, joining their team. They stood in a line, joined by the impending sunrise, and the quickly fading stars.

"We have to stay now." Rossi's voice too spoke the truth that they were all thinking, yet afraid to say. Emily sighed, and inched closer to Aaron, brushing her shoulder against his. Broken promises aside, she enjoyed the closeness and contact.

"Yeah." Morgan's voice joined the fray. "If he stays on script, he'll take another boy on Saturday."

"We'll be ready for him." Aaron's voice was empty of the sadness and fear that had been there previously, and full of the determination that he poured into every case.

"Then let's get to work." Rossi was the first to move away from the railing when JJ spoke up.

"Wait." She stepped back and placed her hand on Rossi's arm, holding him back. "The sun is just about to rise. Stay, ten more minutes." He obliged and moved back to the railing. Emily smiled at her friend, and reached her hand over and placed her hand on Aarons arm. The move was small and inconspicuous.

All facing east, they watched as the sun filled the sky and chased away the last vestiges of night that occupied the sky. The stars had all but vanished. The symbolism wasn't lost on Emily, and she better appreciated the beauty of the sunrise, knowing that within a few minutes they were going back to work, to find the man responsible. They would have other sunrises, but they all knew that Rodney Jones would never again see a rising sun.

As one they moved inside, got coffee, and started back at work. They'd had a contingency plan for this situation, and they were putting it in place. It seemed as if all of Texas was ready for the showdown that was coming, and was giving them all that they needed to find them. State police, the Rangers and the entirety of the Mount Springs P.D. were out and ready for the manhunt that was about to take place.

"The Rangers of the state park have set up a grid in the forest where the other bodies were dumped, and all of us. FBI, MSPD, State Police, and Rangers will be there, working the grid to find this man." JJ's voice had her calm, controlled media voice. Emily wasn't surprised that she had commanded the attention of a room full of gun totting alpha males. Of course it helped that she was beautiful, but still.

Aaron's voice cut in, and the rooms' attention and focus shifted to him. "We aren't sure if Rodney Jones has even been killed. The profile suggests that he is dead and his body will be dumped before 4pm. It is now 7am."

Morgan jumped in, again commanding the attention of the room. "Even though we hope we are wrong, we will be there in the woods, waiting for the unsub. Remember if he does dump the boy and gets away, he will take another on Saturday."

The chief from the Mount Springs PD stood up, "Okay, we all know what to do. Let's find this guy, before he has the chance to do this again."

Instantly the room became active and loud as the gun toting alpha males placed their hands on their guns and moved towards the door, heading towards the door. Grabbing her jacket, she made a move to leave the room when Morgan's filled the air. "BAU, meet with me first please." Instantly five heads swivelled towards the back of the room, and Emily fought the rush to the door, and made her way towards him. He waited until they were all there, and the room was clear before he spoke.

"JJ, organize the search with the sign in log. Work with Garcia checking backgrounds and whatnot. The usual." She nodded and Morgan continued. "We all know what will happen if we don't stop him."

They all nodded and moved to make their way towards the door, and towards the forest. Emily ended up in the truck with Reid, JJ, Rossi and Aaron, and the drive was spent in silence, each thinking through what was about to happen. Sandwiched between JJ and Reid she watched Aaron as he drove. His face was controlled, and his body had taken on its 'ready to fight' look. They were all wearing ear pieces and bullet proof vests, the profile pointing towards the unsub was ready to go down fighting. Citizens had asked to be a part of this search, but had to be denied because of the possibility of danger. Then it hit her.

"Guys what if we got it wrong?" All heads turned to her, and she caught Aaron's gaze in the rear view mirror.

"What do you mean?" His look was questioning.

"What if the reason he's able to spend so much time with them isn't that he's self or unemployed, it's that he works a 12 hour shift?"

"You mean like a cop." That came from Rossi, and Emily could see the cogs turning in all of their heads.

"It's possible. With the degree of control that is evident, and also the remorse. A lawman would feel bad about breaking the law, but could handle his urges when they came." That was from Reid. Always with the possibilities. He truly was a real live cyborg.

"It makes sense. Always taken on a Saturday afternoon. Always dumped in the afternoon." Aaron agreed.

"Like when he's coming on shift." JJ was a profiler, even though she didn't have the credentials that they had, the team couldn't operate without her.

"From Mount Springs?" Emily didn't want to voice this, but knew that it was an issue that they had to discuss. They were only five minutes from where they were going. She noticed that Aaron had obviously thought the same thing, as he'd slowed the truck down, giving them maybe an added minute.

"But what about the history. Everything points to this not being his first crimes, and that he knows the town well, as if he's lived there his whole life." Reid spoke again, his adherence to the profile both a virtue and a fault. They had to adapt the profile to the case, and right now the case was telling them that they might be looking at cop. Which was never a pleasant thing, in profile or not.

"It could be that the unsub grew up here, moved away then came back. We've only been looking at violent offenders in the Mount Springs area. If he did his practise elsewhere, then moved back home for a familiar hunting ground. It's not unheard of." Emily knew her words could be interpreted as defensive, but she knew that this was part of their roundabout to finding the unsub.

"Okay JJ, all the law enforcement is being set up at the gate to the park. They are all signing in; get Garcia to run them through state and national databases for name changes. There is no way that he would be hired if he has a record. Also, check for fraudulent ID's, it's possible that he'd simply adopted and ID and went from there." That came from Aaron, the leader in his voice coming out.

Rossi spoke next, tightening the Velcro of his jacket tighter around his chest. "I'll hook up with Morgan when we get there. Fill him in."

Emily knew that the possibilities were endless, and that they were treading a thin line here. Chasing evil is what they did. Chasing evil with a gun is what makes them special. Stopping them makes them what they are.

**

Aaron's day was getting longer and longer the more time that had passed. The park, though naturally protected, was open to the public, with hundreds of ways into and out of the park, and that was only counting foot paths, ATV trails and driven roads into the area. Someone with an off-road vehicle could take an unlimited number of ways into the park, and get out the same way.

He knew, in his head and heart that they were going to find Rodney Jones' body today, it was just a matter of time, and when that time came, they would be ready to take him down. Though his gun was in his holster, his finger trigger was itching to squeeze something. Preferably a gun aimed at the guy, but he would take what he was given, and right now it was a walk in the sparse Texas woods with Reid, and a man who was killing children.

He snapped the branch he was carrying and threw it to the ground. He and Reid had drawn the quadrant where the first boy was dumped. They were sceptical that they would find him, and for that he was grateful. No matter what he'd done and seen these past few days, every time he looked at Rodney Jones, thought about him, or even said his name, Jacks face popped into his head. Was he safe, was he scared, was he having fun, did he miss him? A never ending cycle of questions and images of him ran through his head.

"Do you think Emily is right?" Reid's voice floated to him from behind, his youthful voice questioning and light. The nature must be doing well for the boy. The fresh air and sun probably affecting the way he was thinking.

It was a good question though. He often thought Emily was right. Even when he knew she was wrong. He trusted her, had ever since the first case they worked together, and that continued. He was glad for her presence in his life and thankful each day that he had the privilege of knowing her. Though he was sure Reid was speaking more to their latest idea of the profile, he agreed with her. Had thought the same thing himself, pushing it aside. It hadn't been part of the profile, so it hadn't been a real thought.

"Yes. I do. Even though that means you and I are walking the woods where he disposes of the bodies, and we know about him. Which puts you and I in danger."

"Quite the optimist you are." Aaron chuckled at Reid's words, and picked up another branch.

"Keeping it real man. Keeping it real."

"You know since you and Morgan effectively switch jobs, you've also switched personalities. It's rather disarming you know. He's on his way to becoming a one woman kind of guy, so when are you going to become a ladies' man?"

"You know Reid; since you and JJ have gotten together you are more bold. I like the change." He did, he liked that Reid was more willing to stand up for himself, and especially JJ.

"Uh... Hotch."

He had been walking without looking back, keeping tabs on the kid, and hadn't noticed that he'd fallen behind, stopping by an out cropping of rock and a lone cactus tree.

Turning he walked back towards Reid, the dead foliage crumbling under his feat.

There, what he saw made his heart sink, and his stomach reflex. It had been a long time since he's wanted to throw up at a crime scene, and this was a lot less bloody and messy than he had ever seen.

Speaking into his wrist com, he sighed and tried to get a grip on himself, "This is Agent Hotchner, quadrant 6, grid section 7. We've found Rodney Jones."

He knew that the closest people were more than five minutes away, and suddenly he didn't want to have a grip on himself. Once again he snapped the branch in his hands and threw away the pieces. With the wood came a string of explicit's and curse, and a large amount of rage. Getting the emotion out, he felt a tiny amount of freedom enter his body. He didn't care what it would take to stop this man. If he had to move to this dinky city to stop this man he would do it.

Suddenly, after punching a nearby tree, Reid's voice once again came to him.

"You know, you shouldn't bottle all that emotion up. When the pressure builds and explodes, it isn't very good for you. Or trees, if you punch them." He laughed again, so Reid was turning into a comedian.

"I'm sorry Reid." He was. He didn't know how to explain what he had just done. Usually he had such a control over himself that he didn't show any emotion. In the last minute he'd showed Reid that he was a very angry person.

"It's all right Hotch. This one is tough."

They fell into silence and Aaron felt better knowing that Reid wasn't judging him. It had been a long time since he lost control like that, or rather had allowed himself to lose control. He was running on little sleep, much like the rest of his team, and now that they had found Rodney dead, another clock was hanging over another boys head, and they had just under 48 hours to find and stop the guys that did this.


	5. Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang

_**Discalimer: **No, I don't own Criminal Minds. Well I have all four seasons on DVD, which is awesome. Because I just watched all four in a row. I'm afraid to go to the bathroom in the dark. I mean walk there. It's scary. I have to bring a flashlight. For serious. But the show itself, no, that still belongs to CBS and all those folks._

_**AN:** This kind of took on a life of it's own, so it's longer than I anticipated. Oh's to the well's. I hope you like it._

* * *

  
Emily walked down the hallway in the hotel, bottle in hand, and emotions unchecked. Today had been hard on her, on all of them she knew. It wasn't everyday that they lost a person. She knew it happened, and it got her every time. If only they had shown up a day earlier, on person sooner, one death earlier, then maybe they could have saved one. Sometimes she wanted nothing more than to check the pride and arrogance of every cop she'd ever met and yell. If they had been called in earlier, maybe Rodney Jones would still be alive. Sighing, she knew it was no good to dwell in the past. Rodney was dead, and they had three days to work a plan. Garcia was busy running down the names of all those who had helped with the search, and she had said it would take a while. So they all went to their rooms, hoping that rest and time away would help them focus.

Emily wasn't asleep, and she knew no one else on her team would be either. Sleep came hard when someone's life hung in the balance. So, armed with this information, she found herself walking to his room, his favourite bottle of scotch in her hand. She had promised to stay away from him, for his own good, and for hers, but she was being incredibly selfish. She wanted to be comforted, and companionship, why not go to him, where she was already invested. She had a connection with Aaron that she couldn't deny, and sharing his favourite drink was just a friendly gesture. She knew the team would profile it, they always did, and she didn't want to know what they would say.

Raising her hand she knocked on his door lightly. It was a few moments before she heard the sounds of movement from within the room, and another few seconds when the footsteps stopped at the door. She knew he was looking through the peephole, having been a little paranoid since his run-in with Foyet. Not that she could blame him, she'd check the peephole to if some knife welding person with a penchant for killing was after her. She might not even open the door.

The locks were undone and the door swung open revealing the disarray of the room. Clothes were strung everywhere but the bed, and the desk where his case files were, was scattered with papers and pictures of the crime scenes. He looked just as bad as his room his hair was standing on end from where he had run his hand through it, his dress shirt was un-tucked, wrinkled and he wasn't wearing a tie. Though she found this look on him deciding sexy, it was a far cry from his stiff shirt, buttoned down and tie usual, which was just as attractive.

Holding up the bottle of scotch she plastered a smile on her face, hoping that he would accept it for what it was; a gesture between friends. He didn't say anything, but he moved back to allow her access to the room. Moving into the room, she heard him shut the door behind her, and lock all of the deadbolts and hook the chain up. She wasn't watching him; instead she looked over the files, and saw that he wasn't looking at their case. He came over quickly and closed the folder; George Foyet's face leering face being shut away from the world.

"We aren't supposed to be drinking on the job." His face was as passive as ever, and his voice had taken on a small monotone.

"I know. But one won't hurt." He didn't smile, but moved to the bathroom and came back with two classes.

He took the bottle that she was holding out to him, and when he took it she sat on the foot of his bed. Again, she just sat watching him. His body had healed from the attack, but she could see that his mind and emotions still had some recovering to do. She had known that he spent his free time in Quantico on the Foyet case, but she hadn't known that he was taking it with him everywhere he went. She knew it wasn't good for him, but she also knew that it was the only way that he was ever going to find peace in this world, catching that man.

He moved closer to her, and sat down beside her. The glass placed in her hand was heavy, and she noticed that he had poured them both a double to their usual. Raising her eyebrows at him, he smiled and shrugged. "I said one Emily, I didn't say how big." She returned his smile, and a small laugh. As he held up his glass she did likewise, and waited for him to say something.

"To Rodney Jones." She reciprocated his words and drank deeply. The liquid burned her throat, and warmed her stomach as she emptied half her glass. Looking at Aaron, she coughed when she saw that he had drank his entire glass empty. She wanted so badly to be able to comfort him, but she didn't know how to do that.

Though he was smiling more these days and these cases, he was closing himself off, and not really talking that much. Reaching for his glass she grabbed it from him, her fingers brushing his, more bolts of electricity flowing through her. Filling his cup with half of what she had left she handed the glass back to him. He took it, this time his fingers brushed hers, and again she felt the tingle that touching him caused.

Holding up her glass, she watched as he followed suit, "To us. Our team and finding this guy." He simply said 'to us' and they drank together one more time. As she watched him down the scotch, the burning in her throat matched the burning in her stomach as she caught sight of his hand.

There was dried blood on it, and fresh cuts and wounds on his knuckles. The skin was red and raw and there were wood splinters in the skin.

"Oh my God Aaron." She reached across the space between them, and grabbed his hand. "What happened?"

"Oh, well I don't know. I punched a tree just after we found Rodney's body." The words were simple, but as he flexed the fingers that she held, told her that the wound was just a small part of the anger that he had felt in that moment.

Grabbing the glass from his other hand, she stood quickly and told him to stay still. Moving into the bathroom she rinsed out the glasses and grabbed some wash cloths. Luckily there was a first aid kit in the bathroom, and she grabbed that to. Running one of the white cloths under warm water, she moved back into the main room and back to Aaron. Sitting closer to him than she had before, she turned her body so that she was facing him. He turned, and their knees were touching again. Her breath caught in her throat, as he held out his hand to her. Placing a dry cloth between them, she grabbed the tweezers from the first aid kid, and gripped his hand with her other hand. His hands were rough, yet they were warm, and she could feel the strength he had there.

As she pulled out slivers of wood, she placed them on the towel between them. "How many times did you hit the tree Aaron?" She said the words with a laugh, and looked at the small pile of slivers. There weren't more than six or seven, but that was still a lot for only one hit.

"Just once. You can ask Reid if you don't believe me. He was there." His words had lost his monotone, and she could tell that he was smiling. Looking up from his hand to his face, she could see the smile there, and she smiled back.

Setting the tweezers aside, she picked up the warm cloth and started to clean his knuckles. His breathing changed, and once again she felt his fingers squeeze her. The moment was becoming far to intimate for her, and she could feel her pulse quicken. She knew that she couldn't stop now, but there were two sides of her warring against each other. Part of her wanted to run away, back to her room and hide under the covers there, the other wanted to push everything between them to the floor and launch herself into his arms.

When the blood was all washed away, she took out an alcohol wipe, ripped it open. "Okay, this might sting a little." He took in a deep breath, and fisted his hand, stretching open the cuts in his knuckles. Still holding his hand, she wiped the swab across his knuckles, his intake of breath indicating that it had indeed been painful.

When she was done, she lifted his hand to her lips and blew on the cuts. She knew that the relief would be temporary, but she also know that the wound would do nothing to stop him from working. She felt him shiver, and her body reacted the same way as his hand unclenched and her flexed his fingers a few times.

Needing to break the silent moment that was floating between them she stood quickly and moved to the bathroom. Throwing away all the garbage, and rinsing the cloths, she leaned against the sink and took a deep breath. She hadn't intended on anything happening, and she could feel her body opening up and anticipating what could happen. She knew that nothing would likely happen, but her body wasn't interested in what her mind knew.

Grabbing a new cloth she ran it under cold water and rung it out, steeling her body against reacting when she saw him. The few moments of preparation did nothing as he pulse pounded out a staccato beat, and her breathing became laboured. Sitting back down beside him, she reached for his hand and held it between them. She held the cold cloth against the raw skin there, and their eyes connected.

"Why are you here Emily?" His brown eyes were filled with emotion and questions, and his face too held questions.

"Scotch. Friendship." _Something more._ She didn't lie exactly, but she also wasn't very truthful when she answered him. She had decided to come here on a whim. Questioning the decision all the way down to the liquor store, and back up to his room. Every step making her wonder if she was in fact going there for those reasons. The words 'booty call' ringing in her head. Granted they came with Garcia's voice, they were still there, and she wouldn't be telling him that.

He didn't respond, but as she still held onto one of his hands, his other came up and he placed his fingertips lightly on her cheek. The touch was far too little for what she wanted, and of its own volition her head turned so that his entire hand was against her cheek. Her eyes fluttered closed, and before she knew what was happening he was kissing her.

The touch was soft, and gentle, and the hands between them gripped to each other tighter. The action was over as soon as it had began, and she felt him pull away. Though her eyes were still closed, her heart was surely about to beat its way through her ribcage and into the space between. In an agonizingly slow way she dragged her eyes open, and she came eye to eye with him. The dark brown orbs reflected the emotions she was currently having. Lust, desire and longing.

They stared at each other for a long moment or two, and Emily knew that the part of her that wanted the possibility of this night was going to win. Her mind ran through the situation and what could or couldn't happen. Then as if the world stopped, her mind stopped and she didn't know what was happening.

She didn't know who moved first, but just as last time they came together, it was sudden and unexpected. His lips tasted of the scotch that they had shared, and bad coffee. Everywhere his hands were, trails of fire and need filled her skin.

She didn't know how it had happened, but her back was on the bed, his body covering hers. Hands were everywhere, pulling clothes loose and undoing buttons. Legs and arms were entwined, and the only thing her mind could focus on were the feelings that he was creating in her.

His lips on hers were soft and gentle, but she could feel his controlling nature coming through the touch. His tongue demanded entry to her mouth, and she was unable to resist as her lips prated beneath the assault.

Her hands could feel the soft, warm skin above the waistband of his pants, and could feel his rough fingertips on her back, beneath her shirt. They had been at it for more than twenty minutes, and her mind had shut down, making more room for her body to think and feel it's way around his. Gripping the edges of his undershirt, she was about to pull it up over his head and off, when the world came to a screeching halt. Her body was screaming at her to keep going, to allow herself to indulge in him for the night, but her mind was screaming stop.

Suddenly she couldn't think about the feelings, she felt them, but she knew that she had to stop this. She was in love him, and she felt as if she were taking advantage of him in his weak and vulnerable state.

"Wait, wait, wait." To her own ears the words were breathless, and punctuated by kisses on his lips. He pushed himself, up and away from her. The look in his eyes was saying what she was feeling, but they held nothing of what she was thinking. Second thoughts of stopping came into her head as she looked at his arms. The hem on the sleeve was straining against the bulging bicep there and the feeling of his lips on her neck as he spoke.

"What?"

She shivered at the word and as his warm breath played against the soft skin of her neck. Again her body protested stopping, but her mind knew that if they continued that there would be no going back. There already was no going back, but if she stopped it now, she could just play it off as a mistake and not have to put her heart on the line. Though it to was on the line, and there was no going back.

She pulled herself away from him again, and this time she didn't wait for him to move away. She pulled away from him and rolled off the bed. Fumbling with the buttons on her shirt, she couldn't look at him, knowing that if she did she would hop right back into the bed with him, unable to stop herself.

"Emily?" She couldn't not look at him as he said her name in a husky whisper. The need to climb back into the bed with him overwhelming as she took in his appearance. His dress shirt was gone, discarded on the floor; the button on his pants was undone revealing the elastic waistband of blue plaid boxers. His hair was dishevelled and his lips were red and swollen, the confusion on his face not masked behind his usual wall of emotion.

"Aaron. This can't happen." She gestured around the room and at the bed, and she watched as he stood up, placing himself a few inches away from her. The heat radiating off his body filled her mind with memories of what had just happened. She held her hand up between them, knowing that she was using it as a barrier between them. Also knowing that a hand wouldn't stop either of them.

He sighed and sat on the bed. Then he turned his head away from her and took a deep breath, "I know Emily." He got up again and a flare of hope sparked in her that he wouldn't take no for an answer and that he would kiss her again. She knew that he wouldn't, that he would respect her wishes and allow her to leave. He moved to the other side of the room and picked up the jacket that he had pulled off of her. Moving back to the end of the bed, he held his hand up and allowed her to walk in front of him to the door. She moved to it, sticking close to the wall hoping to avoid touching him. Her heart was already involved in the hopeless situation; she didn't need her body to be longing for him more than it was at this moment.

As he opened the door she willed herself to walk out of the room and make her way towards her room. Holding the door for her he placed her jacket in her hand, his fingertips stroked her wrist. She sucked in a small breath of air, and felt her cheeks warm at the touch. Resolve failing she moved her hand away from his touch and crossed her arms in front of her, holding herself back from him.

"Goodnight Emily." His voice was soft, and the whispered tones resembled his whispered words against his neck. She held herself tighter to stop the reaction her body had to his words.

"Goodnight Aaron." She left the room quickly and the door shut behind her rather quickly, but she couldn't blame him.

She leaned against the wall outside his room for a second more gathering herself. Then, when she thought she could stand without her knees shaking, she pushed herself away from the wall and moved to her room, knowing that sleep was something she wouldn't be getting tonight.

**

It had been more than a day since that night, and Aaron hadn't yet brought it up. In his mind he knew that it was right of her to stop what was going to happen, but his body wanted nothing more than to pull her into his arms and take her back to his room and finish what they started. He knew he wouldn't of course, but now he knew that the feelings he had for her went both ways to a degree.

They had came up with a plan over Friday, and all they needed now was a name from Garcia. His team was gathered in the sheriff's office all standing around waiting for Garcia to call and tell them what she had found. They stood alone, not wanting to explain that they thought that it was a cop from the town perpetrating the crimes.

Finally Morgan's phone rang and he put it on speaker so they could all hear and speak if needed. He looked at Emily and couldn't help the small smile that spread to his face. Though the night had left him frustrated, he couldn't deny that he hadn't felt that way in a long while. Since when he and Haley had first met, and that was when he was a teenager. No other had made him feel that way, and he wasn't shocked that it was Emily to resurrect feelings he'd long since presumed dead.

"Garcia you've got us all." Morgan's filled the room.

"Hello Crime Fighters." Aaron often wondered how she came up with nicknames for them all, but shaking his head he knew that Garcia's mind was not something he wanted to delve into.

"What have you got for us Penelope?" Rossi asked, liking to get down to business. It was early Saturday morning, and they needed a name knowing that their unsub would take another boy today.

"A name, with a rap sheet longer than Rapunzels hair."

"What is it?" This came from Reid, who stood close to JJ.

"Cole Barnes."

"Cole Barnes the Lieutenant?" Shock and rage filled JJ voice as she looked out the window and through the vines.

"You know him?" Aaron asked, lately he and his team were missing things they ought not to miss.

"Yeah, he's the one who called us in." Outbursts shock and rage filled the room, and Rossi was ready to go arrest him.

"Crime Fighters, Garcia here. Don't you want to know his rap sheet?"

"Yes we do Garcia." Emily spoke. They all knew who it was, having in the last few seconds applying their profile to him, seeing that it fit very well. Small victories were nothing when four boys' lives had been taken.

"Cole Barnes, born and raised in Mount Springs, Texas as Andrew McGinnis. Dude had some major plastic surgery. This is his picture from when he enlisted in the army at the ripe old age of 17." Morgan's phone beeped and the picture of a man who shared only the same hair and eye color of what was their unsub.

"Well he has good reason to change his appearance." That was from Emily, who had moved back and was glaring at Barnes through the window.

"No doubt peaches. But here's why. Only two years into his enlistment Barnes was dishonourably discharged for conduct unbecoming. That's army code for raping a man. The guy was only 17 so our guy gets sent to the brig, is discharged and placed in a civilian prison. There he was beaten beyond recognition for being a child molester."

"Ouch" That came from Reid.

"Yeah, anyways long story short, dude gets out of jail where we proceeds to have work done, coach a little league team and be accused of molestation again. Nothing happens because all of the accusations are recanted the day before the trial. No body, no crime right. Then he completely falls off the grid. Nothing, not even a death certificate anywhere. Three years later, brings us to 2007 enter Cole Barnes. His entire life is a lie."

"Well that explains a lot. He is from here, just not from here you know." Rossi spoke, saying what they were all thinking.

"That is right sir, his school records are forged elementary, middle and high school all fake. Military career fake. It took serious digging on my part, but I found it, you know it, and alas another bad guy shall fall to my team of Crime Fighters. His address has been sent to all of your PDA's. Garcia out."

Emily laughed "What were the results of the drug test you had her do last year?" The all laughed, but then Reid pulled out a map of the city and they gathered around it.

"Okay then. JJ and I made this plan last night. We are setting up the grid for this afternoon. We've already assigned the State police, the Rangers, and the MSPD with their locations, so all we needed to do once we had the name was put our guys in the right section. Now of course we have to split up so he doesn't catch on to the fact that we know." They all nodded and moved around the table to get a better view. The map was on a corkboard with little flags all over the place. Ried had gridded the map and JJ had a list with corresponding names and grid locations.

"Rossi, Emily and myself will be here at Hillers Park. In sections 2, 3, and 5. Not that it matters because Barnes is at Grandberry Park, in the same section as Hotch. That is section 2. Morgan will be in section 1, preferably on the borders of 1 and 2. While JJ will be at the gate manning the search. I will serve the same capacity at Hillers, so it should be fairly easy."

They all nodded and got ready. They all knew that they couldn't bring rifles and vests, because as far as the rest of the force knew they didn't have a suspect.

"I know that it sucks that we can't tell the locals," Morgans voice filled the room, stealing the words from Aarons mouth and head. "But we all know that if they get wind of this they will take him down without any evidence. This will lead to his release, which is something we can't have. If we lose this guy now, we'll just have clean up behind him in another city at another time."

They all nodded and started to leave the room, Aaron was about to follow Rossi out when he was stopped by JJs voice asking him a question. "Aaron, why did he call us in?"

"I dunno. Probably because he thought he could get away with it, to reassure himself that he was getting away with it. Maybe just in case we did get it right, to throw suspicion off of himself."

She nodded, and Reid did as well, agreeing with him. He nodded to Reid and left the room, leaving them to themselves. He needed air; he couldn't sit in the same room with the guy and not be able to control himself. He wanted nothing more than to walk up to him and cause serious physical harm, but like Morgan had said, that would be unwise. They needed evidence, all they had was the profile, and they knew it was right. Unfortunately the profile would never stand in court. On paper Barnes was a good citizen, never convicted of a crime, and a decorated office of the MSPD, who would ever think it, was him.

On his way out he had to pass Emily, and though she was bent over a file, he couldn't help but smile and remember Thursday night. Though nothing physical happened, a lot was said between them non verbally. Right then and there he made a vow that once this was over, he would kiss her again, and tell her how he felt for her. He didn't want to lose her in his life, and by constantly hiding his feelings from her and pushing her away he knew that he was bound to lose her.

*

Aaron could hear the teams chatter in his earpiece, and he couldn't help but groan at some of the things the y were saying. Though he was listening to them all of his attention was focused on Cole Barnes who was standing fifty feet to the west. There was a soccer game going on a hundred yards away from them, and he could see that Barnes was trying very hard not to look. The boys were playing fairly well, but Aaron was only concerned with Barnes.

He turned away when Barnes looked at him and pretended to be watching the game. The ball had a lot of back and forth, but from the cheering of the parents you would think that they were at a professional game. Having turned away from Barnes, he hadn't seen him approaching, and only turned when the man was a couple yards away from him.

Instinctively Aaron placed his hand on his gun, but quickly moved it to his hip, he also noticed that Barnes noticed the movement. Aaron was about to walk away when Barnes voice filled the air, and he pressed the mike button on his watch, hoping the team would listen. The chatter in his ear went silent as he hoped they were listening.

"So, you really think this guy is going to try something when it the area is flooded with cops?" Aaron looked around, seeing all of the cops that had flooded the area. They were all plain clothes, but the earpieces and holstered guns were very visible to Aaron.

"Yes we do. This guy is need driven, he doesn't care about the cops, he only cares about himself."

Aaron saw anger quickly pass over Barnes face, and from far away a scream could be heard.

"Go." Aaron yelled at Barnes and followed him to the soccer field, hoping that by keeping him close, he could prevent him from taking a kid. Upon arriving at the field the game had stopped and a woman was frantically calling her sons name.

"What's wrong?" Aaron gripped her arm and looked her in the eye. Panic filled her eyes, and fear was slowly gaining control.

"My son," her voice was hysterical as she practically screamed in his ears. "I can't find him. My son."

"Where did you see him last?"

"He was playing, then he was just gone."

"Are you sure he didn't just go to the bathroom?" Aaron knew that if this was a false alarm, they were in big trouble. The fact that fifty or so cops had descended on the area had to have spooked Barnes.

"Yes I'm sure, I told him to tell me if he were leaving the area. He knew not to go anywhere alone."

Aaron knew that the boy was somewhere safe, Barnes had been with him, or in his eye sight since they got here an hour ago, and if what this woman was saying, her son only disappeared a few minutes ago. Panic came in great strides in difficult times, and this was understandable.

Morgan came up to him and asked, "What's wrong?"

The woman went into hysterics and started explaining the situation to Morgan.

Aaron's own panic welled in him as he looked around and could no longer see Barnes. Speaking into his wrist mike, he yelled "Does anyone have eyes on Barnes?"

A chorus of 'no's came through and Aaron ran back towards the road. What he saw there made his blood chill, and his heart beat faster. Barnes had a boy in his arms and he was heading for a truck that that was parked on a covered hill.

"Morgan!" He screamed as he turned and ran towards the pair as fast as he could. Barnes had at least a two hundred yard start on him, and he was closing ground to the truck fast. In his ear he heard shouts for support and reassurances as ran towards the truck.

Pulling out his gun he ran, hoping that he could make it before Barnes got away. In the closing distance above the sound of his own beating heart and the cries for help that the boy was emitting he heard the truck start.

Jumping in front of it he help up his gun and fired a shot, the bullet missed Barnes but the windshield shattered and Barnes aimed his truck at Aaron. Jumping out of the way after firing one more shot, he rolled to the ground gun still pointing. The spinning tires shot gravel at him, and there was a cloud of settling dust. All of the law enforcement vehicles were on the other side of the park, and he knew that Barnes would be long gone before anyone got there.

Moving to his feet, he felt a hand on his arm giving him a hand up. Placing his gun back in its holster, he looked to see who had helped him, and was glad that it was Morgan.

"You okay Hotch?" Concerned filled his voice, and Aaron saw him re-holster his own gun.

"Yeah." He was fine, the adrenaline pumping through his veins caused the muscles in stomach to twitch, the scars of Foyets handiwork acting up, but he was fine.

"You're bleeding a little bit man." Morgan pointed to his forehead and Aaron quickly put his hand over his forehead. He could feel a small cut above his eye, and when he pulled his hand away a small amount of blood was on his hand.

"It's nothing. Let's go, we have his address, we can save that boy."

The both turned and ran towards their cars, in his wrist mike Morgan was giving orders, and calling in reinforcements. Aaron knew that this was the end of the line for Cole Barnes, and as he ran towards his Suburban Morgan just steps behind him, his determination to bring Barnes down and bring that boy home safe solidified, and he would do everything in his power to get it done.


	6. Fallin Rain

_**Disclaimer: **CRIMINAL MINDS... I don't own it. Which I'm starting to enjoy. People are passionate about the show. And like someone once said "People get mad when you start messing with their heroes". I don't wanna mess with anyones hero. So we'll just leave possesion of the show with CBS, and Ed Bernaro._

_**AN:** Hey, I don't really have anything to say excpet... Tomorrow is the 100th episode. It's gonna be fantastic! I know it. Jessie out. (Scratch that. Next Week is the 100th episode. I am so lame.)_

* * *

  
Though he had been out of breath by the time he had made it back to his truck, Aaron had no problem filling the team in on what had just happened. They all listened, and as Morgan gave the order for the rest of the team to roll out and go to the address that Garcia had downloaded into their PDA's, JJ had stood beside him and cleaned and placed a butterfly bandage to the wound on his forehead.

As she stood close to him, he looked down at his petite blonde friend and smiled at her, his chest heaving, and his body jumpy from the rush of adrenaline of almost being run over by a crazed pedophile with a truck. In the last three days he had been tended to by both of the women on his team, and he realised that he missed that in his life, a woman to take care of him, to love him and ensure that he was always safe. Laughing to himself, he saw JJ smile and look up at him.

"What's so funny?" She smiled and moved away from him, and placed all of her garbage in the doors pocket of the truck as they both climbed in.

"Nothing, it's just that Prentiss cleaned another of my wounds on Thursday, and I just find it funny that you two girls take care of us boys." Though the encounter with Emily had ended very differently, he thought of JJ as his sister, a close friend, and someone that he loved in a very platonic way. He loved Emily all right, but there was nothing platonic about those feelings.

"Well, Emily and I took a first-aid course because you guys are always coming back with bruises and scrapes. Garcia kept yelling at us, telling us that we need to take care of you guys." Her words were said with laughter, and as he sped away from the parking lot, and joined the caravan of vehicles moving towards Barnes' house, he joined in the laughter with her.

"Garcia said the same thing to me about you and Prentiss. That we boys needed to step up and protect you girls from the bad guys." Aaron looked over at JJ, and smiled. He knew that his team was a family, and that they all cared for each other deeply, first-aid courses and protection aside, he knew that not one of them would hesitate to protect another.

Reaching up he felt his forehead. There was already a small bump appearing under the scratch that was starting to resemble the throbbing headache that was appearing. He didn't know what happened to his head, and he didn't care, he had failed to get the boy back, and now the race was on to save him. If Barnes followed script, he couldn't kill the boy for five days, but Aaron didn't know if he would follow it. Barnes knew that they weren't far behind him, and he was bold enough to take a kid when he knew that there were FBI and a whole slew of law enforcement in the area. How he'd react to that, Aaron couldn't predict.

Suddenly Morgan's voice filled his ear, and started giving instructions. "Okay guys, Reid is at the park, the name of the boy that was taken is Aaron." At that, he looked at JJ, who just looked at him, her eyes wide and filled with an emotion he couldn't identify. "We can't afford to go in soft, but I want JJ and Prentiss to go in first. The boy will respond quicker to a woman, and we need to get him safely." He heard the replies of JJ and Prentiss, and his heart stopped. They knew that Barnes would react with force, and Emily going in first chilled his blood. Either of them really, but he had already lost one woman he loved, he didn't know if he could handle losing another.

The rest of the short drive was filled with silence, both of them readying themselves for what they might find at the house. Pulling up beside a cruiser, he jumped out of the truck, and moved to the rear and grabbed two vests, one for him, and one for JJ. Walking and putting the vest on, he moved to where the rest of his team stood. Rossi, Morgan and Emily all stood at the back of a cruiser, waiting for them.

"Okay," Rossi started talking, but Aaron couldn't take his eyes off of Emily. He didn't know what he would do if she got hurt. "He's not afraid to go down shooting, and he's probably got a vest on, so chest shots will only knock him down. We all have to be prepared to take his life if he won't come calmly." They all knew he wouldn't.

"Okay. JJ, Prentiss you go first. Find the boy and make sure he is safe. I'd prefer it if you didn't kill Barnes in front of him, but do what you gotta do to make him safe." Morgan's tone was grave, and they both nodded. "Let's go."

Aaron had stood with his back to the house, ensuring that Emily had to pass by him to get to the front of the cruiser. Quickly, he reached for her hand and gave it a quick squeeze and whispered to her as she walked by, "Be careful. Please." She returned his quick squeeze then let his hand go. The contact lasted for only a few seconds, and Aaron hoped that it would not be the last time he got to hold her hand.

Quickly they made their way to the house, and the front door. The police used a ram to bust open the door and Emily and JJ went in first, the rest of them going slowly after her. They moved quickly, clearing room after room, and the basement, not finding the boy or Barnes. Aaron could hear the muttered curses of the rest of the team, and he felt like releasing one of his own.

Standing in the kitchen he looked around, searching for a clue as to where Barnes might be, when his eyes landed on a note tacked to the wall with a hunting knife.

"Guys," He yelled, "In the kitchen." It was only a few seconds before the team was all in the room, huddled around him.

"What is it Hotch?" He pointed to the note, the blocked capital letters sneering at them, with bright red ink.

Emily read it aloud and though it was said in her soft, tender tone, which usually soothed him, the words angered him. "_Did you really think I would be so stupid as to come back to my own home? HAHAHA Catch me if you can?"_

As one, five guns were holstered, and one fist pounded on the laminate counter top and the team filed out of the kitchen. Once outside the note was relayed to every law enforcement officer that was present. Shouts of rage and anger filled the air as every cop present was cursing themselves for not seeing the evil in the man. The MSPD looked so ashamed, and Aaron felt sorry for them. Knowing the monster personally must be hard, especially since it was a fellow cop.

Reid had joined him, his crutch preventing him from being able to be part of the raid. "Hey guys, what happened?"

JJ filled him in as someone shouted in their direction. "What now Morgan?"

Instead of answering Morgan flipped open his phone and the whole team gathered around him to listen to Garcia.

"Garcia's office of wonder and amazement, speak and you shall be answered."

"Garcia you got the whole team." Morgan spoke into the phone, and Aaron found that he missed the 'Baby Girl'.

"Hello Crime Fighters. What can I do for you?"

"Does Cole Barnes own any other properties in Mount Springs?" JJ asked while Reid unrolled a map of the town and surrounding county on the hood of one of their trucks.

The sound of tapping could be heard in the background, and then she spoke again. "No he doesn't. Only the house that you are at right now."

Remembering his birth name, Aaron asked, "Check the name Andrew McGinnis."

"Andrew McGinnis, nothing. However there are three properties listed as being owned by a Roger McGinnis, father to Andrew."

"Garcia, can you send those addresses to me?" Reid pulled out a marker and uncapped it, ready to draw on his map.

"Of course I can sugar."

"Thanks Garcia." Morgan hung up the phone just as Reid's phone beeped, and he started marking spots on the map. In almost a reverse geographical profile, the three addresses formed a triangle around the two parks, and included the part of the forest where all four bodies were dumped.

Morgan moved to the truck and pulled out a megaphone, and called attention to the group. "Okay listen up. We have three alternate addresses for Barnes. They were under his father's name. Separate into three teams, follow us, let's go bring this boy home."

As one, the entire group started moving, getting into vehicles, and getting ready to fight a battle. Their team pulled back together around Reid and his map, lines and dots filling the page, showing how a depraved man carried out his crimes.

Morgan spoke again, pointing at the map. "Rossi and JJ take this one; I'll go here, Hotch and Prentiss this location." Aaron sighed, glad that Emily would be with him for the short drive. They all moved to their respective vehicles and got in. The address he and Emily were going to was the farest away from the park, and their current location, soothing his heart with the hope that neither of them would be in danger. He knew he had promised himself that he would confess that he was in love with her, but he didn't know when he would do it. This moment hardly seemed appropriate, so he started the truck and drove fast, the sirens going.

Looking out of the truck he noticed that the sky that had been clear and vibrantly blue this morning was now clouded over with rolling gray clouds. If he hadn't known better he would say that those were rain clouds, but the area hadn't had rain for seven months. Though he doubted the rain, the overcast sky mirrored the way he was feeling about this and a happy ending.

Finally he couldn't handle the silence, so he decided to talk about work, a safe subject. "Emily, we both know how this is going to end. If Barnes is there are you prepared to shoot to kill?" He knew that she always was, she knew the stakes of this game, and anything less than a shoot to kill, would end in more damage than good.

"Yes, are you?" He thought so, but he wasn't sure. Giving her a sideways glance, he took in her profile. Her brunette hair was pulled back into a ponytail, her body was alert and ready to go, and her face was set, the reality of the situation evident on it. Looking at her flooded his mind with memories of what holding her felt like. How soft her skin was under his hands, the strength that was held in her deceptively small frame. How she tasted as he kissed her, her soft lips playing across the skin of his neck.

He shivered, shaking the memories loose; thinking like that would only land him in trouble. He swallowed thickly and coughed, then returned his full focus to the road. Now was definitely not the time to confess his love for her.

"Our main focus is the boy. We find him; we get him out as fast as we can."

"We will Aaron. We'll save this boy."

He didn't have the heart to say that that is what they had said about Rodney, and his funeral was tomorrow afternoon. The team had already agreed to stay for it, his mother asking them to. He knew it would be hard, but they had tried to find him, and though they had fallen short of finding him alive, still his mother was thankful to them for trying.

"I'm going to go in lead. You follow. Stick together. Barnes is a cop, separating could be the death of either of us."

She nodded, and he snuck a glance at her again, hoping that neither of them would get hurt, and that he would be able to keep his promise to himself about telling her. He'd thought about it before always failing to act on the impulse, but the memories from Thursday night still so fresh in his mind, pushed him on to act on the idea of telling her.

She opened her mouth to speak, but the house that they were looking for came into view. It was a small farmhouse just outside the city's limits. In the driveway was the truck that had almost run him over, the shattered windshield and the bullet hole in the side of the truck evident from far away. Speaking into his wrist mike he called to his team.

"He is here; the truck he got away in is in the driveway."

Steeling himself for a gun fight, he looked in his rear view mirror and was upset to find that the line of cruisers and jeeps had diminished as they drove through the city fast and made it to the place quickly. They would have to go in alone quickly to get to the boy before he was hurt. As soon as he was at the requisite fifty yards away, both he and Emily jumped out of the truck and ran to the house. The rest of their search team was a few minutes behind, and he knew that the longer they waited to go in, the longer Barnes had the boy.

They stood on opposite sides of the closed door, and he pulled his gun out of his holster, she did likewise and he held up three fingers, while gripping his gun tightly. It had been a while since he'd actually wanted to shoot an unsub, but he wasn't concerned about it. He knew that he would only take another man's life if that man deserved to be killed. Even then he had problems with it. It was never easy to do, but sometimes it had to be done.

He put his fingers down one at a time, and then kicked in the door. They moved together clearing each room and moving on. It was this way for a few long moments, then he turned his head to look for her, and she was gone. He swore in his head, and panic welled within him. Still holding his gun, he moved himself into the living room looking for her. He heard footsteps over head, and sighed in relief, she must have just moved upstairs and thought he was following her.

In his moment of relief he'd let his guard down and without notice someone tackled him from behind. His gun flew out of his hands, and the panic welled within him once more. As his body hit the floor, he felt the scratch on his head rip open some more, and a trail of blood started to fall down his eye, obscuring his vision.

Rolling to his feet, he turned quickly and saw that Barnes was coming after him again. Reacting on instinct he fisted his hands and sidestepped, pounding him on the back just as the man was about to hit him. Frantically looking for his fallen gun he couldn't see it on the floor. Once again Barnes came at him, and this time the blows landed, a fist to the face and one to the stomach, caused Aaron to want to vomit. Pushing that reflex down, he made a motion for the gun at his ankle, and just as he was about to pull it out Barnes tackled him once more, sending them both through a wall.

As drywall crumbled around him, Aaron couldn't catch his breath having landing on a piece of wood that had knocked all of the air out of his lungs. Looking around, he couldn't see Barnes and shakily he got to his knees.

"I told you Agent Hotchner, that you wouldn't be able to get me."

Aaron looked towards the sound of the snide voice and saw a piece of 2 by 4 swinging at him. Though he tried to duck, the wood struck him, his head exploding into pain, and his vision went black as he passed out.

**

Looking behind her she noticed that Aaron wasn't with her, and suddenly worry filled her. She had given him the sign that she was moving upstairs, but evidently he must not have caught it since he wasn't following her. She continued on, knowing that he would come looking for her. One room into her sweep, she heard the sickening sound of two bodies hitting each other with force.

Clearing the room that she was in, she moved back towards the first floor, the sounds of a struggle getting louder with every step she took closer to the fray. The sound of blows landing reached her ears, and she heard Aaron groan. Her heart gripped in fear, knowing that he was being hurt. At the landing of the stairs she heard a small voice call out to her.

"Help me." Turning quickly she pointed her gun at the voice then lowered it quickly seeing that it was just a boy. The soccer uniform he wore was ripped and dirty in places, and she could see hand shaped bruises appearing on his arms already.

"Are you Aaron?" She whispered as the struggle below was still going.

The boy nodded, and she knelt opening her arms. The boy rushed into them and gripped her tightly around her neck. She could feel sobs rack his small body as she held him tightly, when a loud crash sounded and the house shook beneath them.

Suddenly a voice spoke into the deadly silence that followed the crash, the boys' trembles became worse, and Emily's blood ran cold. There was one more thud, not flesh on flesh, but the hollow sound of someone being hit with a bat. She pulled her gun out again, and whispered to the boy, the panic of Aaron possibly being hurt caused her to break the protocol and his wishes to ensure the safety of the boy. She had to make sure both Aarons were safe. "Aaron, stay behind me okay, and don't let go of my hand." His little fingers gripped hers tightly, and she led him down the stairs ensuring that he was always covered by her body.

At the bottom of the stairs, what she saw caused her heart to stop. Cole Barnes was holding Aaron, an arm around his throat and a gun pointed at his head. Without warning the screen door burst open and Morgan and JJ filed in, also pointing their guns at Barnes.

"Prentiss, get him out of here." Morgan's voice commanded her. She didn't hesitate to move, but not one step closer to the door and Barnes shouted at them.

"No! No, no, no. The boy stays or I shoot your little friend here." He jabbed the gun against Aarons head, and her heart gripped painfully again, the motion causing his eyes to flutter open.

Looking at Aaron, she felt the boy behind her grip her hand righter, and hold on to her leg with his free hand. Her Aaron's eyes were lolling, and it looked as if he couldn't focus. There was drywall dust in his hair and covering his body, and the butterfly bandage that JJ had put on him earlier was half off, the cut twice as big as it had been before, and blood was flowing freely down his face. His ear, too, was bleeding and his hands were held up.

"I don't think so Barnes. The boy is leaving." As Barnes raised his gun and shot the ceiling, the boy holding onto her jumped beside her moving away from her cover, she turned so that once again her whole body was covering his. Looking down at him she could see the terror on his face, and she felt an overwhelming connection with him.

"No." The gun was jabbed back to Aaron's head, and through the giant hole in the wall she saw Rossi come into the room, unnoticed by Barnes. "Give me the boy, and I give you your friend."

"Take the shot." Aaron's voice was groggy and sounded like he had to struggle to say the words, which were chocked off by Barnes shaking him.

"Shut up! Give me the boy." Hysteria had entered Barnes face and voice, and he had a crazed look in his eyes.

"No." Morgan's voice was calm and strong as he refused to give in. Though she knew that they were all panicking, knowing that Hotch's life was once again in the hands of a crazy man. "Let him go, put down the gun, and let's end this peacefully."

"Give me the boy!" This time he yelled, and gripped Aaron tighter around the neck. Aaron's hands groped at the arm around his neck, but his movements were slow and laboured.

"Take the shot. Anyone." This time the words were stronger, but Emily didn't have the courage to take it. Barnes' whole body was covered by Aarons; any shot off perfect aim would hit him. She couldn't imagine him being shot, but she knew that she definitely couldn't do it.

"Give me the boy!" Like a broken record Barnes shouted his demand again, and the boy beside her said through his tears in a shaky voice, "I don't wanna go with him."

"You don't have to Aaron." Pulling her hand from his, she placed it on his shoulder, and felt his other arm wind around her leg, still holding onto her with a death grip. She didn't know how she was going to get him off of her, but she didn't care right now.

"Hotch." Morgan's voice filled the silence again, and before her eyes she saw Barnes finger play on the trigger and at the same time Aaron threw his head back, connecting with Barnes face. The gun went off, still pointed at Aaron, and almost at the same time a second shot went off and blood was splattered everywhere.

Both men fell to the floor, and in slow motion horror, JJ was at her side ushering her and the boy outside. She turned and scooped the boy into her arms, still holding her gun. Once outside they saw four or five uniforms run into the house, and every time she tried to look back the house got farther and farther away.

She needed to get to Aaron. Needed to know that he was safe, needed to hold him, comfort him, and protect him. JJ had ushered them to an ambulance, where the boy gripped her tighter. Though her heart needed to get to her Aaron, the Aaron in her arms needed her more. The scared little boy seemed to be magnifying everything that she was feeling.

Inside the ambulance she held tight to the boy, comforting him while the paramedics checked him over. Her heart and mind in the house where the man she loved might lay broken and bleeding.

"Emily, I'm going to go get his parents." She simply nodded, looking out of the back of the ambulance at the house, panic filling her as Aaron hadn't come out yet. The worst possible scenarios were running through her head. Aaron shot, lying bleeding on the floor. Aaron dead, his body slowly losing its warmth. Flashing through her mind was the image of him in the hospital bed, his body still and lifeless.

It seemed as if all of the activity outside the ambulance was moving at double speed, but her world had slowed to an incredibly slow pace, normal actions taking twice the time that they usually needed.

Then, without warning, rain started to fall. Heavy and thick soaking everything within minutes. The rain filled her heart with an unexplained hope, the memories of her own escape from deaths hands filling her. The memories of Aaron saving her washing over her, fuelling her need to get to him, and ensure that he was truly okay. She couldn't stand to lose him.

Deciding quickly, she started to untangle herself from the boys grip on her, she was starting to feel bad for abandoning the boy when a woman appeared in the doorway, water logged and crying. When the boy saw her, he launched himself from Emily's arms and in the other woman's with a strangled cry of 'Mommy." Seeing her chance to get to Aaron, she quickly dislodged herself from the family reunion and into the rain.

Once outside, she couldn't help the smile that spread her face and warmed her heart as she saw him being helped down the porch steps helped by Morgan and Rossi. They each had an arm and were helping him towards the ambulance. Unable to stop herself she ran to him, slipping in the mud that the downpour had created.

She slowed when she neared him and caught his eyes. A small smile spread his lips, and she saw Morgan and Rossi share a look, and they let go of his arms which he held out to her. She threw herself into his embrace, and wrapped her arms around his torso, holding him tight.

Tears she had been holding back feel freely and mingled with the rain as they held onto each other in the down pour. Once again rain had fallen on her in a moment of freedom that she hadn`t expected.

He pulled away from her, and looked her full in the face. His forehead was still bleeding, as was his ear, the blood running faster with the rain, staining his white shirt an odd shade of pink. His eyes were no longer lolling and groggy, they were showing what he was feeling loud and clear, and she could hardly believe what she saw there.

"Emily I should have said this a lot sooner. I love you. I'm in love with you." His voice was clear and strong, and the whispered words reached down into her heart, circled there and filled her with joy. How long she had waited to hear him say it she didn't know, but once he had she found that her ability to speak had left her.

Then, in the same way as their first kiss had gone, he softly placed his lips on hers and kissed her. She responded immediately and gripped him tighter, the Kevlar vests between them suddenly an unwanted entity.

Too soon the contacted ended, and the rain falling around them acted as a curtain to diminish any sound that could possibly reach them. In their own little world, she laughed once as his hand snaked up and slowly tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. In contrast with the cold rain, his fingertips warmed her skin with a heat that spread to her toes.

"I love you too Aaron."


	7. Gossip and Whatnot

_**Disclaimer: **I do not own Criminal Minds._

_**AN:** For those of you that care, of which there may be only one, a full Authors Note will be left at the bottom._

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"Just calm down Emily, he's going to be fine."

Emily didn't care for the words, though she knew that he friend meant them to be helpful and calming, she found the solace was neither. It had been no more than thirty since their mutual confession of love, and already they were separated. Hospitals could be so rude.

Pacing back and forth, she looked at the linoleum under her feet as she slowly wore a path five ten feet long. The floor was easy to concentrate on. If she looked up every second pass of her path would have Aaron in sight, a vision of manliness and love, behind a wall of glass that she was forbidden from entering.

Suddenly she came toe to toe with a nice pair of sensible heels, heels that she knew very well because she had been on that shopping trip. Raising her eyes from the floor she came face to face with one of her best friends, and the blue eyes held compassion and understanding.

"Emily. Calm down." The words were stern and Emily was sure it was the same tone JJ used on her son when he was misbehaving, a tone that expressed more interest and love than actual discipline.

Releasing a very large sigh from the depths of soul, Emily slumped her shoulders and allowed herself to be enveloped by her friends hug.

"You're right JJ. You are right." She agreed quietly into the hug, holding onto her friend.

"Of course I am. I am always right." The laugh reverberated through JJ's body and into hers, causing her to laugh right along with her. "Come sit down, and when the doctor comes to get us, you can go see him."

Released from the hug, Emily followed JJ to the hard plastic chairs, and sank into one the unforgiving material adding to her discomfort. Though she felt exceptionally good right now, having saved the boy from the grips of a pedophile, worry laced her veins, and heart, making the success of the day dim.

It wasn't that she wasn't glad for the boy and his family, he would live a long life, happy was touch and go at the moment, but he was alive, and for that she would be forever thankful. It wasn't that long ago that she had been given a second chance at life, and she knew that as soon as that realization hit him, and his family, he would be fine.

"So how long has this been going on? You and Hotch I mean." Emily looked her friend and sighed. It was a good question. One she didn't know how to rightly answer.

She'd been in love with him for some time. Maybe before Haley had left him, maybe it was just after. She wasn't very sure if she were honest to herself. She had respected him long before that point, admired his work, and the way he handled tense situations.

She loved the way he tried to see Jack, but never wavered in his unfailing love for the boy. Even the way he cared for Haley simply as the woman he once loved and as the mother of his child, and didn't abandon her the way she had abandoned him. Though as a woman, she could see from Haley's point of view that Aaron had abandoned her, but she didn't agree with the view. She preferred his dedication to the job, and the victims, and was thus able to overlook the fact that he was kind of an absentee father.

That wouldn't be a problem for them, as they travelled together.

"Um, can you be more specific with the question?" She knew it was a stall, knew that JJ would see it a stall, but she didn't care. No matter what JJ would say Emily needed to buy herself more time to think about the question.

"Emily. Just because I'm not a profiler, like you, doesn't mean I don't notice things." Emily had a fleeting vision of a conversation with Reid and Morgan about her and Will, and another conversation with Morgan about her and Reid. As close as they were, the team noticed everything about everyone. It's what they did. Though they had a long standing moratorium on intra-team profiling, they all did it, all the time.

"What do you mean?" Disgusted with herself for the further stall Emily tried to look innocent as she looked at her friend.

"You know what I mean. Was that little confession of love in the rain the first time? Or... you know?" Emily smiled as JJ waggled her eyebrows and winked at her. She knew very well.

Her eyes closed as moments and scenes from three nights previous flashed through her, echoes of the sensations he evoked in her, rolling through her body, causing her to shiver with the thoughts.

Unbeknownst to Emily, JJ had been watching her the entire time. "So not the first time." She felt a blush warm her cheeks as she ripped her eyes opened and looked at the laughing face of her friend.

"Not, exactly. In so many ways. If you..." She trailed off lamely, knowing what was about to come next.

JJ whipped her phone out and speed dialled Garcia.

"Hello my vision. How did it end?"

"Well we are sitting in the hospital," JJ was interrupted by a gasp and a quickly shouted, indistinguishable word, "Calm down Garcia, Hotch will be fine, so will the boy we saved, but Emily is here with me, and there is something that you need to hear."

"Okay spill my _visions, _spill."

"You may get angry that you missed it, but Emily kissed Hotch."

"What! Did he kiss her back?" The words came out a squeal, and JJ laughed. Emily winced knowing that she was going to have to divulge the fact that Garcia's voice had so wittingly placed correct value on what had happened Thursday night. Again, the words 'booty call' rang through her head.

"Yeah. In the rain. They kissed in the rain. If it had been a movie, a grossly romantic song would have been playing and it would have been in slow motion."

"Oh sweet JJ, you've just described all my richest dreams. I want a movie kissing scene. In the rain, Gene Kelly can have my heart."

"It wasn't like that guys. It was, it wasn't, maybe you should..." Again she trailed off, hoping that the doctor would allow her to go see Aaron, and leave the crazy women she called best friends.

"Maybe, peaches, you should just tell us about the first time you and Mr Hotchner first came together, you know what I mean."

"I hate both you. I hope you know that." She got the affirmative that they both knew, and didn't care, because she was going to tell the story anyway, and sighed. Looking at the room where Aaron was, she caught him staring at her, and she smiled back, the doctor cutting him from her sight as he moved between them.

So she recounted the story for them, the scotch, the first-aid, the kiss, the almost making love, the hasty retreat, and the very unsatisfying retreat from his room. She left out how she'd almost gone back hours later. How she had avoided him for days after, and it wasn't until she might lose him again, that she decided to do something about it. They could figure that out on their own.

Finally, after the appropriate 'ooh's' and 'aah's', her story was complete and a blessed silence fell over them. It wasn't that she wanted to keep it from her friends; a very public display of affection would have made it out eventually.

"Wow. I don't get speechless often, but wow. I mean I saw it coming of course, but wow." Emily had to admit that Garcia had a way of putting things in perspective when they should probably not be in any kind of perspective.

"I know, and all this time I thought that neither of them would finally act on it."

"Hey JJ, if I recall it was me who told you to... You know what never mind. I don't care. Think what you want." Suddenly the doctor came out of the room, and Emily launched herself from the chair and towards the room. JJ stood to follow, and Emily turned quickly.

"You, stay here." JJ laughed, and so did Garcia over the phone, but she respectfully sat back down, and continued her conversation with Garcia. She knew that leaving would just open her back up to some talking, but she didn't care. The doctor had left Aaron and was coming for her, to tell her she was able to see him.

"Miss Prentiss?" The doctor's voice was thick and gravelly, and it grated on her nerves that he was trying to stall her from seeing Aaron. But respectfully she stopped, knowing that he had something important to say to her.

"Yes, that's me." She wrung her hands together, looking over his shoulder at Aaron. He was pulling his shirt back on, and the bright red scars on his abdomen stood out against his skin. She winced, and recalled feeling the smooth jagged lines on his torso as she moved her hands over his body.

"Mr Hotchner will be all right, but he had suffered a mild concussion, and will need to be woken every two hours when he sleeps tonight. Other than that, he should be all right." She sighed as his double affirmative of his health washed over her. He would be all right.

"Thank you." She shook his hand and walked briskly towards him, the urge to hold him again overwhelming. At the door she looked over her shoulder at JJ who was still on the phone, clearly giving a narrative of what was happening. A little finger wiggle, and wave towards the room, she smiled and turned back to the room.

At the threshold of the door she stopped, and just watched him. He was looking at himself in the mirror, and hadn't yet noticed her, and she was content to watch him. Though she wasn't afraid of this, the two of them, being real, the nearer she got to him, the closer her heart came to beating out of her chest. Moments, how long she wasn't sure, passed when he finally looked up from the mirror.

Their eyes caught, and she smiled, the feeling reaching down to her very core, warming her. The smiled that spread his lips was intoxicating, and the feeling it evoked in her was a completely foreign and wonderful sensation.

"Come here." His voice was a whisper, and she wasted no time in moving to him. His arms were held open, and as she nestled herself into him. A sigh escaped her as his arms were wrapped around her, and held her tightly.

The Kevlar vests gone allowed for close body contact, and she was glad that they had been shed and were no longer creating a barrier between them. She lifted one of her hands and buried her fingers in the soft tendrils of the hair at his neck.

He was sitting on the gurney, and she was cradled between his legs, and her head was nestled in the crook of his neck. His smell, the thick musky scent of cologne, soap and rain filled her and put her at ease. He was going to be okay, the phrase repeating itself over and over in her head as she held on to him.

Tears quickly built and fell from her eyes as she clung to him, and she was overcome with joy. He pulled back and looked her in the eye. His normally impassive face was smiling, and his chestnut eyes were filled with emotions to numerous and wonderful to try and decipher.

His hand moved to her cheek, and she closed her eyes as he wiped the tears away. She didn't know how long they had spent holding each other, but she didn't care. Every moment in his arms was a wonderful moment and she was committing it to memory.

"What's wrong?" His voice was again a whisper, soft and smooth, filling her with warmth. She would mourn the day that his voice stopped having that effect on her.

"Nothing. Absolutely nothing." She whispered as well, standing this close to him, she couldn't resist leaning in to kiss him. She placed her lips softly on his, and wrapped him tighter in her arms, and relished the thought of getting to do this for a long time.

He pulled away, and she moved back into a tight embrace with him, never wanting to let go.

**

"_The hard part is not passing out from the pain." The menacing tone of voice floating through his brain, bringing to light the pain, and blackness he was fighting. _

_Again the knife was plunged into his stomach. Pain such as he had never felt coursed through his body. He felt a moan escape his throat as the offending object was pulled out. Foyet's voice floated back to him, some dribble that he couldn't understand._

"Aaron."

_The voice was still speaking, but was interrupted by his name being called. He was aware that he'd had this dream before. _

"Aaron? Can you hear me Aaron?"

The voice and pain receded and he became fully aware that he was no longer living the dream again. The first sensation that he was aware of was the hand in his hair, and the fingers entwined with one of his hands. He was more comfortable than he had been in a while, and though he'd had the dream again, he hadn't woken screaming like the last time.

The sensations and feelings were dull this time around, and when he opened his eyes he understood why. The darkened interior of the plane met his eyes and so did Emily's smiling face. From the angle he was looking at her, he could tell that the pillow beneath his head was her leg, and waves of pleasure rolled through him. He couldn't stop the smile that spread his face, or the squeeze that gripped her fingers tighter in his.

"Yes I can hear you." Quickly she held her fingers to her lips and she shushed him. He found the motion funny, and he laughed. Her hand left his hand and covered his lips, stifling the sound.

"Everyone is sleeping." He could have guessed that, but the painkillers coursing through him seemed to block his ability to control himself. Her laugh reached his ears, and he laughed again, the sound stopping at her hand.

"Where are we?" He asked trying to look around. He had the urge to stand up and look around, but his head felt like it was being weighed down by cement, and the urge passed as he tried and stars swam in front of his eyes. "Whoa."

"No, just stay where you are." Her voice reached his ears, and he couldn't explain the feelings of joy that cascaded through him. He knew that he'd told her that he loved her, and she had said the same thing. Then they had hugged, and kissed, and then hugged again, but then he didn't know what had happened from then to now. Not that he cared at the moment, his head felt really heavy, but sleep was tugging at him again, and he decided to give in.

Closing his eyes, he was quickly falling asleep, when a pair of soft lips were placed on his. Enjoying the kiss, he kissed back, trying to fight the sleep that tugged at him, but yet felt himself falling into it again.

"No, Aaron. You have to stay awake for fifteen minutes, then you can go back to sleep." He pulled his eyes back open, and looked up into her beautiful brown eyes, the heaviness of his head leaving him, being replaced by a light feathery feeling.

"Why?"

"Because you got clocked on the head with a two by four, which scrambled your brain and gave you a mild concussion. You, in a moment of pure brilliance, told the doctor that I would ensure that you would wake up every two hours for fifteen minutes."

"Oh right." He laughed, and pulled the hand that he was holding of hers to his lips and kissed it. "I forgot about that."

"I'm sure you did."

"That was because I knew that you would have to come home with me." He hadn't meant to say that, and he saw the small smirk that crossed her lips.

"So in essence, you blackmailed me into following you home."

"Yes." He nodded, enjoying the feeling of being this close to her, and holding her hand.

He was vaguely aware that he probably wasn't acting himself at the current moment.

She coughed, trying to hide the smile that lit her face for a moment. "So, basically, this is coercion of a federal agent. You know, you could be arrested for that."

He nodded, letting the sleep wash over him once again. "Has it been fifteen minutes yet?"

Her fingers were massaging a nice circle on his head, the motion adding to his desire to fall back asleep. "Yes Aaron. Go back to sleep. We'll talk again in a few hours."

"Okay. I love you." He mumbled then fell into the sleep that was enveloping him.

_~two days later~_

Aaron awoke, the sunlight streaming in through his window lighting his face. The last few days had been a mass of pain and sleep, paperwork and snuggling. Though he'd been a bad patient, Emily had stayed with him. Morgan had deemed them take a three day weekend, and he hadn't wanted to argue.

Emily had stayed with him that first day. She had cooked him breakfast, and had woken him every two hours for fifteen minutes. They had talked briefly every two hours, then he had fallen asleep, every time her hand held securely in his. He didn't know what she did once he fell asleep, but she was always there waking him.

That had been yesterday, and today as he woke, she was in his arms sleeping. He couldn't see the clock, and had no idea what time it was. Or what day it was even, but he didn't care. He readjusted himself to the shape of her body and tucked his face into her hair, fully intending to fall back asleep.

Several moments passed, and he was no closer to sleep when her voice reached his ears, and her fingers found his at her hip, and entwined them together. "You know, you did a horrible job of not waking me up."

He groaned as she let go of his hand, and turned in his arms and faced him. He liked this look. The morning look. No make-up, no pretence of expectations for the day, and no stress or worry of their job filling her eyes. It was the most beautiful thing he had ever laid eyes on.

"Sorry Emily." He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer, covering her mouth with his and claiming her lips in a kiss. It had been a long time since he held a woman in his arms in his bed, and he was suddenly gripped by a bout of inadequacy. Not that he had any expectations of the current future. He was just a man very aware of the beautiful woman very close to him.

"It's okay. I've been waking you up for the past two days; I'll forgive you this once though. Only once though." Her voice was holding a smile, and he slipped his hand underneath her shirt and felt the soft skin there.

"Emily, can you tell what I'm thinking?" He hadn't meant to be so blunt, or forward with his words, but he couldn't stop himself from pulling her closer to him. Her body was now flush against his, and he moved his hand up her back, the soft skin sending tingling through his fingertips, towards the lower regions of his abdomen.

"Yes. Aaron I can." Her hands moved up his arms and came to rest on his biceps. She swallowed heavily and, looked into his eyes. "Can you tell what I'm thinking?"

She placed her hands on his cheeks, and pulled him in for a kiss.

(Fade to black. I don't do those X-rated scenes. So this is where you can feel free to enact your imagination.)

* * *

_**AN2: !!!CAUTION!!!CAUTION!!!CAUTION!!!CAUTION!!!CAUTION!!! SPOILERS FOR SEASON 5 EPISODE 8 "OUTFOXED" and SEASON 5 EPISODE 9 "100".... **(You are duely warned.)_

_For those of you out there that care, and I know there are a lot, we need to start thinking properly. I know the episode is filmed already, I know we've all watched the promo. (What? You haven't? Go to youtube and search 'Criminal Minds 100' make sure it's a 31 second clip, and you'll be informed.) But we need to start thinking positively. Hotch will not die. He cannot. If Haley dies, which might happen, we have to be prepaird for that. Aaron is stronger than Gideon. Gideon lost it after Sarah died, Aaron has Jack. He will live past this episode._

_That being said, I need you guys to know how hard this was for me to write up. I've seen the episode, I've watched the promo a hundred times, and I don't know what is going to happen. Should my worst fears come to fruitation, I don't think I can live with that. I've stopped watching three shows because my favorite characters have died. I will stop watching Criminal Minds. So what I'm asking you is this. Please, just send out positive thoughts all week, until you watch the episode. SAVE HOTCH, is my mantra. Will you repeat it with me?_

_There is one more chapter for this story. Depending on what happens, it may be a while. Thank you all for reading. I love you guys, and one last thing SAVE HOTCH! ~ Jessie._


	8. Epilouge

_**Disclaimer: **I do not now, nor have I ever own Criminal Minds. Such is life, and Billy Pilgrim doesn't mind this at all._

_**AN: (SPOILERS for '100') **I would like to thank all of the people that read this so far, and those who will read it in the future. I hope that this is a satisfactory conclusion for you all. I kept it light and simple, knowing that all of us Hotch fans are hurting right now, and this is just some light fluff for you. I had to take in some points that were missed from the previous chapters, but I'm sure you'll all forgive me. Creative liscense and all. Anyways, happy hunting my friends, and may you find both joy and peace, in either sunshine or rain. -Jessie_  
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**

***The Future***

The sun, bright and warm fell down the leaves of the tree, and scattered its rays around her, and she closed her eyes, welcoming the warmth. Emily smiled brightly; her eyes closed and soaking in the vitamin D. She loved picnics in the park, loved them more when she was sharing the day with her husband, and their team.

It had been four years since Mount Springs, and time had brought their family closer together. For they were always more than just colleagues and co-workers, they truly were a family. An odd combination of people and abilities, which she often equated with the movie "The Land Before Time." They had been an odd herd, and her family was the same. They were vastly different, but they worked together so well, Emily wasn't sure if they could do as good a job missing one of them.

Opening her eyes, she took in the sight before her, her family spread downhill from her, giving her a perfect vantage point. There was Rossi, the oldest member of the team. It was his hard work and sweat that had formed the BAU in the first place, and now he was back, the wise man on his mountain for them. He was incredibly good at his job, and could read people like most people read a book.

Then there was Morgan. The muscle of the group. He was a damn good profiler, but he was the one they depended on when it came to the heavy lifting aspect of the job. Like Reid had once said, "Kicking down doors is Morgan's job anyway." Reid. Reid was Reid. The boy genius. Though he had grown into a fine man, and was certainly on his way to earning some sort of Nobel Prize, he was the one that brought forth all the miscellaneous information that they loved and hated to hear.

Garcia, their world could not exist without Garcia. She took care of them, wither it is with a reassuring smile in a tense situation, or the back hoe to information they needed, Garcia was always ready for anything. Her best friend JJ, though not a trained profiler, an important part of the team. She did all the dirty work when it came to the media, and even helped out on apprehending the unsubs.

And Hotch. Her Aaron. He was the leader, the one who so often put his career on the line when it came to the operations of the team. She hadn't realised before that he did an extraordinary amount of paperwork behind the scenes, stuff that they should have been doing. He said it was so they could focus, and she understood that, but he was just as focused doing the work of six. She belonged with Aaron, and the team, their family.

The men were all running around playing with the four kids belonging to them. Jack, the oldest was obviously it in the game of tag, chasing after Morgan, by far the hardest catch of the adults, and thus the biggest prize. She laughed as Morgan turned quickly to face him and Jack fell over laughing, enabling Morgan to get away, while he too laughed. Henry never really strayed far from Reid's side, holding tight to the pants there, but would run like crazy if Jack had come any closer. Abigail, JJ's daughter, was held securely in Uncle Rossi's arms, and Emily could hear her giggles of delight from this distance. Aaron sat on the ground with their son, Carter, playing in the sand.

Sighing, she closed her eyes and once again basked in the sun filtering down through the leaves, no day had ever been more perfect.

"Sleeping again?" Garcia's voice floated to her, and she opened her eyes again, quickly scanning the boys and the children down the hill, they hadn't moved much since she'd closed her eyes, so she guessed that she was being teased.

"No. Being pregnant is hard work." She pretended to pout, placing her hand on her rounded stomach. She was only five months along, but already there was a small pump there, holding her and Aaron's second child.

"Preach it sister." JJ's voice added a laugh, which sent all three giggling.

"I wouldn't know. I have never had a child." It was Garcia's turn to fake pout, but there was glee and mirth hidden behind her eyes. Emily knew that Garcia was fine without a child. She had once said that her and kids wouldn't mix, that she was happy enough just being cool Aunt Penelope.

Her two friends placed lawn chairs on either of side of her, and they all sat in silence for a moment, watching their family playing down below. These moments for them, enjoying a day together were few and far between, and Emily was determined to enjoy it to its fullest.

"Funny isn't it?" JJ's voice carried on the breeze, and both Emily and Garcia turned to look at her.

"What my vision?" Emily nodded along with Garcia; she found a lot of things funny. This wasn't one of them. The moment was remarkable, amazing, heart-warming, but not funny.

"We see the worst of people, we go looking for it actually, and yet we know that moments like these exist. Us, all being together, smiling and laughing without a care in the world." Her voice was serious and sombre, and Emily knew she was right.

"I used to love the job. Doing it, I still do, but my reasons have changed. I wanted to make the world a safer place for the rest of the world, but now I want to make it safer for my kids." She paused, and looked at her two friends. She knew they shared the same viewpoint, that ridding the world of another serial killer was important, and that all of them played a crucial factor in that job.

She placed her hand on her stomach protectively again, and caught Aaron's eye as he looked up the hill smiling. She smiled back, and all three of them returned the wave that he gave. He looked down to Carter and pointed up the hill, and Emily's heart warmed as her young son smiled and waved, copying his father's motions.

Once more they lapsed into silence and enjoyed each other's company.

Eventually they started talking again, commenting on what the boys and kids were doing, and speaking of un-work related things. The conversation flowed easily between them, years of friendship and trust flowing between them. Slowly the kids and men started coming towards them, laughing all looking happy. The sight alone made Emily's heart warm with love.

They ate food, and talked and laughed for a long time, and when the sun was making its descent towards the horizon, the adults had all grown quiet and were sitting in a circle. JJ and Reid sat hand in hand opposite from her, Henry coloring at their feet, and Abby nestled into JJ's chest, asleep.

Carter and Jack were playing with Rossi, Morgan and Garcia, and she sat close to Aaron, resting her head on his shoulder watching her kids. It had taken a long time for Jack to stop asking about Haley, which had been difficult on Aaron, but he had taken to her rather quickly. Though it had taken Aaron longer than his son to warm up to her being in their lives, she was thankful for everyday that they had together.

Henry stretched, and yawned loudly, causing a laugh to come from JJ, who was the first to stand, and speak. "Okay, it's time to get home and take a nap." Though the words for the rest of them, she looked at her son lovingly and softly patted his cheek. Emily's own children looked as tired as she felt, and she knew that she would be the one taking a nap.

**

It had been a good day. Aaron knew that he had to take the good days with the bad, and commit every positive moment to memory, because you never knew when they were going to end. He had let Haley go without knowing that, and when he had lost her life he'd regretted nothing more in his life. He'd lived in darkness for a while, simply going through the motions of life, taking care of Jack and doing his job.

Emily had been there all along, and when he'd finally opened up to her, he did so with gusto, not wasting a moment. Their time together wasn't perfect. They fought, they argued, but at the end of the day, whatever his feelings were before he climbed into bed beside her, he was always glad that she was there. Her back may have been turned to him on more than one occasion, but she was still there. He would always be thankful for that.

Slowly walking down the hall towards their bedroom, he wanted to check on Emily. Concern and protectiveness were always present within him, especially when they were in the field, but he had learned early on not to hover. He had over stepped his bounds once and she had given him an earful, and it was Reid who had given him the advice. "Just apologize, and promise never to do it again." The younger man had been looking at JJ when he'd said it, and Aaron had laughed.

Close to their room, he heard Jack's voice speaking to Emily. Slowly peeking into the room, he saw his entire family on his bed. Carter, his dark hair ruffled, was laying on his stomach a dinosaur teddy bear clutched protectively under his arm. Emily was beside him, her hand rubbing circles on his back, and her other hand holding onto Jack's.

His heart often ached for Jack. How much he would miss of his mother, how much he reminded Aaron of Haley. His blond hair separated him from the rest of them in looks, and Aaron knew that Jack often wondered about his place in the family. He and Emily had both reassured him that they both loved him, and when Carter came, they had worked doubly hard to love both boys equally.

It hadn't taken Jack long to fall in love with his younger brother. In truth, Jack was probably more protective of him than either he or Emily, and that always made Aaron's heart squeeze tight. He had often had to stop himself from profiling his son's actions, and had to learn to just watch him, and then help him out however he could.

"Emily, what are you doing?" His soft voice asked in a whisper. His free hand too joined Emily's in the motions on Carters back, and he made sure to move softly so as not to wake him. Jack's small body was on the opposite side of Carter and had his back to the doorway.

"I'm helping Carter to fall asleep." She too whispered over his head, a small wisp of her dark hair falling over her face. His fingers longed to tuck the strand behind her ear, but he settled for staying still and watching the exchange.

"Me too? Am I helping him?" Concern etched his voice, and Aaron saw him scoot closer to the younger boy, and kiss his forehead. Love welled in him, and he saw Emily swallow, probably feeling the same things he was.

"Yes you are Jack. Carter is lucky to have such a wonderful big brother like you." From the way Jack reacted to that, he could tell that the boy was proud of himself, and smiling.

"I love him. I need to help him."

Aaron laughed at the innocent words, and knew that he was keeping his final promise to Haley. Jack still loved his mother, still had a picture of her on his wall, and though he had stopped asking questions about her, he would one day need to know about her. It was for that reason he'd gone through his and Haley's house collecting things that reminded him of her and put them in a box. Her jewellery, pictures, a scrapbook she had made of Jack, and her favourite CD. It was a mix she often danced to when she was alone, and Aaron had saved it all for Jack.

Moving into the room, Jack and Emily both turned to face him. He offered them a small smiled and climbed into the bed behind Jack.

"Hi Daddy." He whispered, and turned back to Carter and continued rubbing the circles on his back with Emily's hand. Stretching his arm onto the pillow he reached over jack and laid his hand over the joined hands of Emily and Jack.

"Hi buddy." Looking over at Emily he smiled softly, and she returned the gesture.

They lay like that for a long while, until Jack fell asleep, his hand still on Carters lower back. Without warning Carter rolled over, and snuggled himself in Jacks body and Jack wrapped and arm around him, the stuffed dinosaur between them. At the same time Emily and Aaron shifted closer to their children. They lay in silence, holding hands and looking at their children.

Outside, what had been a sunny day for their outing had now turned into a down pour. Water ran down the panes as if it was a waterfall, and the pitter-patter of drops could be heard hitting the roof. The sounds were soothing, and slowly he too was falling asleep. Emily's eyes had already drifted closed, so he allowed his to close as well.

Just as he was about to fall asleep, soft words entered into his brain, and he smiled, loving the way they sounded. "I love you Aaron." He repeated the words to Emily, and as they both drifted off to sleep with their children between them, and their hands clasped together, Aaron Hotchner knew that he could never have asked for a more perfect ending to a rainy day.

His wife, his two sons, and his unborn child in his arms.

"**We tend to forget that happiness doesn't come as a result of getting something we don't have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have." –Frederick Koenig**

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_**AN2: **Next up for my Criminal Minds stories, are a few oneshot songfics. Pay attention, and again, happy hunting to all._


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